The McCormick digital operation was a blueprint for success in the modern media age.

As Creative Director, our job was straightforward: Make viral ads. But not viral for viral’s sake—viral with a purpose.

We built a system grounded in archived research, rapid deployment, and clear messaging. It produced the most viral digital ads of the cycle, and established the playbook for how Kamala Harris was defined.

We moved first on every major news cycle of the race because we were prepared: the clips were saved, organized, and waiting for the right moment. We recognized opportunities no one else saw and showed the country what a modern rapid-response operation looks like.

The payoff was massive: over 20 million views on X and 70+ national TV mentions—clear proof our ads converted online traction into real coverage. Every major TV network—from CNN to ABC to Fox News—ran our ads for free, and top print outlets—from The New York Times to the Associated Press—covered them positively. The TV coverage was so extensive we cut an 12-minute highlight reel of the best segments.

Here’s how we did it:

Execution

1. Kamala’s Coronation

OPPORTUNITY (Jul 23): Harris’s ascension dominated coverage—putting Republican messaging in disarray. But we saw a better way to define her.

RESEARCH: We collected old clips of Harris from the 2020 Democrat primary and had a clip saved of Bob Casey touting Harris.

ACTION: We released the first ad attacking Harris—a 90-second spot highlighting her past liberal comments with Casey praising her at the front and back.

RESULT: The spot was quickly hailed as “the playbook” for branding Harris.

It aired for free on CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Fox Business, NewsNation, and others, and received positive write ups in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, and other major outlets. "Biden allies privately raised concerns about a new ad from Dave McCormick that describes Harris as 'the most liberal nominee ever,’” wrote the Associated Press.

It refocused Republican messaging and set the stage for how other campaigns would attack her. The Trump campaign and NRSC followed with similar ads.

TOTAL VIEWS: 14.6M on X

2. Biden-Trump Debate

OPPORTUNITY (Jun 30): Biden’s debate performance dominated the news, giving us the perfect opportunity to re-up the many times Casey defended Biden’s health.

RESEARCH: Old clips of Casey defending Biden’s capacity were already cataloged and ready to deploy.

ACTION: We released a 30-second spot contrasting Biden’s performance with Casey’s previous comments—becoming the first Senate campaign to use the debate in an ad.

RESULT: It went viral, with coverage in Politico, CNN, The Dispatch, and Fox News. NBC, CNN, and Fox News played it on air.

TOTAL VIEWS: 540k on X

3. Immigration

OPPORTUNITY (Jul 29): News coverage centered around recently unearthed clips of Harris calling for open borders—but no single ad existed with all of the top hits. We needed to connect Casey to Harris on the border and saw an opening.

RESEARCH: We had plenty of saved clips of Casey expressing support for open borders plus the recently resurfaced clips of Harris that were floating around X.

ACTION: We released a 60s spot with Harris and Casey, in their own words, calling for open borders.

RESULT: It went viral, with conservatives—notably Donald Trump Jr.—sharing it along with mainstream journalists.

TOTAL VIEWS: 1.1M on X

4. Econ Rollout

OPPORTUNITY (Aug 15): Harris was about to give her first big speech on the economy—and we needed to tie Casey and Harris’ economic record together.

RESEARCH: We had tons of saved comments from Casey downplaying inflation and cheering on inflationary spending—plus a poorly-aged clip of Harris from 2021 promising Biden’s agenda would lower the cost of living.

ACTION: We were the only campaign to preempt Harris’ speech—releasing a 60s spot the night before.

RESULT: It dominated X, with many high-profile conservatives sharing it. “This is a complete BANGER of an ad,” wrote Scott Jennings.

TOTAL VIEWS: 1.6M on X

5. Iran

OPPORTUNITY (Oct 1): Intelligence leaks revealed that Iran was planning to attack Israel—so we prepared an ad to put out as soon as the attack happened.

RESEARCH: We had never-before-seen clips saved of Bob Casey promising his vote for the Iran Deal would make the U.S. and Israel more secure.

ACTION: As soon as the first missiles landed, we grabbed a short news clip of a reporter announcing the attack, added it to our ad, and posted it within hours.

RESULT: It spread like wildfire on conservative Twitter—with several commentators noting how fast it was put together. “Every time I see a great ad it seems to be McCormick,” the New York Post’s Karol Markowicz wrote.

TOTAL VIEWS: 600k on X

6. Garbage

OPPORTUNITY (Oct 30): Biden launched a tirade at Trump supporters, calling them “garbage”—so we immediately started crafting an ad in response.

RESEARCH: We had multiple saved clips of Casey praising Biden’s “integrity.”

ACTION: Within 12 hours of Biden’s comments, we released an ad—becoming the first campaign to do so.

RESULT: Both Fox News and the New York Post published stories about it while conservatives on X praised our speed once again.

TOTAL VIEWS: 100k on X

Conclusion

In the end, Dave McCormick won by just over 15,000 votes. With an election that close, we had to capitalize on every opportunity.

The McCormick playbook was a blueprint for success—and we know that our team can replicate it in any state, in any race. If we could make ads of milquetoast Bob Casey go viral—imagine what we could do with your crazy opponent.

McCormick