In the wake of Clare Higgins' successful re-election bid in Northampton, the South Hadley firm that created the mayor's campaign advertising wasn't too shy to take a little credit, bringing into view the way in which marketing influences elections.

"Just a little over a month ago, Clare Higgins, the mayor of Northampton, came to us with a reelection campaign that was in trouble. After 10 years in office, she'd been taken by surprise by a second-place finish in the preliminary election. That's usually the kiss of death for an incumbent," read an email sent the day after the election by the ad agency Darby O'Brien. "After our first meeting, we were concerned that Higgins' campaign wouldn't allow us to do the kind of ads that could turn things around. We were wrong."

The agency went on to credit the mayor for sticking by the agency, which "created print ads with a sense of humor and a strong point of view," despite some pressure from campaign staffers to water them down. "Some campaign staffers told the mayor and her campaign managers the print ad headlines were too humorous, too strongly worded, too self-deprecating. [The Higgins' team] didn't panic and they didn't back down. They had confidence in us and the work we had done.."

The ads paid off, the agency said: "The print ads in particular generated a lot of buzz, with talk on the street, notice in print, and reports on WFCR and News 40. ... They also helped get out the vote. Clare was reelected to her sixth term in office yesterday. ...That's how this stuff works. You do it right; you get results."