Aristotle

Aristotle
Now You Know

Furthering the democratic process, regardless of political affiliation.

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Kyiv. Photo: Igor Kostin

Full Story | Overview

Aristotle is a pioneering force in political campaign technology and big data. Along with countless senatorial and congressional campaigns, state party initiatives, PAC and grassroots organizations, the company has worked with every U.S. President from Reagan to Biden.

When John Aristotle Phillips [JP] first hired us in 1999, the company's products had become synonymous with packaged software. Our first task was to revitalize Aristotle's brand image and introduce new digital offerings.

"Aristotle's ads tap into the world of K-Street, where idealism and cynicism mesh, and they juxtapose the gritty, real-life, roll-up-your-shirtsleeves-and-get-things-done-now existence of Campaign Managers, with an irreverent send up of their political masters."

Leslie Wayne, New York Times

We went on to work with Aristotle on a wide variety of projects, including the launch of a real-money prediction stock market for politics and an age and identity verification service.

And we supported Aristotle in their efforts to help further the democratic process in some very challenging parts of the world.

In Ukraine, Aristotle discovered the vote fraud being perpetrated by the Kremlin during the 2004 presidential election. The scandal made news headlines, and thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Kyiv in peaceful protest, in what became known as The Orange Revolution.

In Afghanistan, we produced a series of 60 second films to help focus media attention on the desperate failings of the incumbent president. Meanwhile, JP was on the ground in Kabul, in danger the entire time, just as he was in Kiev, moving around disguised as a reporter.

In addition to the Ukraine and Afghanistan, JP has also worked in Tunisia, Uganda, and Venezuela. But, while he's witnessed some appalling abuses of power, nothing could prepare him for what was to happen in Kenya.

Just days after the torture and murder of a key election official, JP was dragged from his hotel in Nairobi by a heavily armed gang. He was handcuffed, bundled into the back of a car, and driven into the jungle.

"One of Phillips abductors passed a machine gun from the front seat to the back while another played a video on his phone that depicted torture and killings."

Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times

At around midnight, the car turned down a quiet dirt road, and JP was convinced that he would be killed. Meanwhile, the White House had been negotiating with his hostage takers. Hours later, he was thrown into a van, taken to an airport, and spirited out of the country by the CIA and officials from the American Embassy.

Highlights from our extraordinary 20+ year journey with Aristotle:

In the USA, many of our ads for Aristotle were routinely quoted in the Washington Post (in some cases, years after they'd stopped running).
In Ukraine, Aristotle helped pave the way for the democratic election of President Viktor Yushchenko, a reformist rival of the Kremlin.
In Afghanistan, Aristotle helped pave the way for the democratic election of President Ashrf Ghani, a progressive modernist.