"When the D.C. Lottery and its ad agency were coming up with its new POWERBALL campaign, the Redskins foment hadn't yet boiled over. It was hardly even warm" reports the D.C Sports Bog in the Washington Post. It was was back during just a regular preseason, filled with optimism and hope and the promise of grilled Tofurkey sausages and an undefeated fantasy football campaign and maybe some hot Redskins playoff action, the Post item continued.
More on the Post piece follows:
Which meant that no one at the Lottery or at MDB Communications was thinking about Redskins ownership when they wrote the script for this 30-second spot, touting the benefit of "Strength in numbers" and unity in office lottery pools. You know, how it only works if everyone participates, and how you don't participate at your peril, and all that.
In the ad, one character--who previously hadn't participated in his office's pool--finally decides to join in. Turns out he was tarred and feathered as part of his recruitment. This character--the only named character in the entire spot--is called "Snyder."
Now, why is he called "Snyder?" Well, Cary Hatch is the president and CEO of MDB Communications, the advertising agency for the D.C. Lottery. And she happened to marry a guy named Doug Snyder. Which is why "Snyder" seemed like both an inside joke for her husband and son, and a relatively inoffensive and safe name for a made-up Lottery player.
"Well, we thought it was safe," Hatch told me Thursday afternoon, with a laugh.
Read the whole story at: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/10/snyder_gets_tarred_and_feather.html
and check out the ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TUrRfJkSPo