RBI Strategies and Research

RBI just hit Jack Benny's permanent age - 39. April 1, 1985 was our start date...and we are still around and winning. Just this past weekend in a land far from Colorado our research team helped the good guys and gals fight back against the forces of evil. Thanks to friends, colleagues, clients, and lots of other folks for helping us through these 39 years. Rick and Joannie

BREAKING: Cannabis Community for Fairness and Safety (No on 119) wins Statewide Ballot Initiative of the Year award, RBI Strategies and Research wins top award for Best Use of Radio in the Shoulda Woulda Coulda category from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC).

At the 2022 AAPC Pollie Awards Conference this week, RBI Strategies and Research won two top awards for ballot initiative and radio efforts.

Colorado's Cannabis Community for Fairness and Safety (No on 119) campaign was announced as the winner of the coveted Statewide Ballot Initiative of the Year award. RBI was proud to serve as the general consultants for the campaign. The campaign faced numerous challenges in its effort to defeat a proposed 5% tax on the sale of recreational ma*****na in Colorado. They were outspent 24-1 and faced heavy opposition from Colorado public officials, including the Governor. Despite this, they defeated the measure by 9 points, surprising the politicians, the pundits, and the major foundations funding the opposing campaign. Congratulations to the entire No on 119 campaign team, including Counterpoint Messaging, Keating Research, Consumer Research Association, John Britz, Karen Crummy, Chuck Smith, Rachel Gordon, and the Cannabis Community for Fairness and Safety.

RBI also walked away with Best Use of Radio in the Shoulda Woulda Coulda category for the radio spot "Penny." In 2018, RBI wrote the script for “Penny” for District Attorney Bruce Brown’s re-election campaign. The script had special importance to RBI founder, Rick Ridder, because the 60-second spot tells the story of Brown’s commitment to justice for the murder of Ridder's high school classmate Penny Cunningham. The campaign went forward with another spot related to Brown’s achievements in office, and the script was shelved. In the summer of 2021 at his high school reunion, Ridder was speaking to another classmate, noted New Jersey radio newsman David Mathau, about Cunningham’s death and the script. Matthau agreed to do the voice-over. After recording the voice-over, both Ridder and Mathau agreed that a music bed was necessary. The choice was easy; music written by fellow schoolmate James Horner from “Titanic.” Horner also knew Penny, and Horner’s brother was Penny’s classmate as well. As Ridder puts it, “This is a testament to high school friends keeping their commitment to honor each other in the best way we can by using our creative talents."

NEWS: We are proud to announce we have received several awards recently for our efforts on behalf of restoring wolves to Colorado with the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund (Yes on 114). In those efforts, we worked closely with Nick Passanante of Boulder Strategies LLC in the production of the content. Boulder Strategies also oversaw the production and implementation of the digital campaign. See the press release below for more information.

You can watch "A Symbol of the West" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBATkglaWg