A representative from the finalist that lost the bid to create a Jersey Shore tourism ad campaign after Hurricane Sandy said that state officials asked about Gov. Chris Christie (R) starring in the ads, the Asbury Park Press reported Tuesday.
“They stated an interest. They asked us about using the governor,’’ Shannon Morris, president of Sigma Group of Oradell, told the Asbury Park Press.
Morris said that on March 15, right before oral presentations for the bids, New Jersey officials “inquired if we would be open to featuring the governor in the ads.”
Some have speculated that New Jersey awarded the ad contract to ad firm MWW because it proposed using the governor in the ads. However, MWW officials on Monday said that they originally pitched a long list of New Jersey icons and decided to feature Christie after they failed to land bigger names.
