All the President’s Admen

Political consultancies still dominate when it comes to creating ads for presidential candidates. After all, given their access to polling data and campaign trail video, they can literally create an ad overnight. Players from the advertising world also contribute, if given clearly defined roles. Jim Ferguson, for example, has put his Texas agency on hiatus to be a creative director for GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, working alongside The Stevens and Schriefer Group. But gone are the days of advertising all-star teams that come together in hopes of spawning the next “Morning in America.” It’s just as well, considering that presidential campaigns hinge on battles in a dozen or so swing states, including Florida and Ohio. Accordingly, candidates need tactical, not grandiose, ads. Here’s a look at some of the actual and potential ad players in the 2012 presidential race.

Credits: ROMNEY: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES; OBAMA: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; GINGRICH: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES