After winning award for Broward surtax ad, PR firm plans to expand Florida presence

After scooping up three 2019 Pollie Awards for its work on Broward County-based ad campaign, Metropolitan Public Strategies has plans to expand its presence here in Florida.

The firm, which was founded in New York in 2013 by Neal Kwatra, won the Pollies for its work on an ad supporting a penny tax in Broward County to help upgrade the county’s transportation infrastructure.

That campaign asked voters, “What’s a penny worth to you?” It then detailed the purported benefits of the plan before urging residents to vote “yes.” Sure enough, the ballot initiative succeeded in November after failing once before in 2016.

“Knowing it’s easier to fight against a tax than for one, no matter how desperately it’s needed, working with the County, we knew it was important to design a campaign that showed different groups what they would be getting for their money,” Kwatra said.

“We’re glad it worked and the people of Broward County are going to benefit from it.”

The ad netted Metropolitan the Gold in the Pollie Awards’ “Best in Show” category. The firm’s ad campaign also won the Gold in the “Best Television” category and a Bronze in “Best Digital Internet Advertising.” The Pollies are presented annually by the American Association of Political Consultants.

But Metropolitan’s work pushing the Broward ballot initiative is far from the only time the firm has dipped its toe into Florida. The company, which has an office in Fort Lauderdale, also did work on behalf of labor clients here in the state to help push for the election of state Sen. Annette Taddeo and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins.

And with Florida likely to be another focal point in the next election cycle, Kwatra says Metropolitan’s work is far from done in the Sunshine State.

“We see Florida as a crucial next step for our business, which is why we opened an office in Broward County in 2017,” Kwatra said.

“In addition to the Penny Tax campaign, we’ve done work with Florida’s Unite Here hotel workers union and worked on different political campaigns. We only expect to be more of a presence in coming years.”

You can watch the spot that won the Pollies for Metropolitan by clicking on the link below.