New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have been able to sway public opinion with a multi-million-dollar ad campaign promoting new gun-control measures, but his message, transmitted often by gun violence victims, swayed few votes where it mattered most -- in Congress.

In the end, the Senate voted largely along party lines this week to kill even the most modest new gun-control measures. Efforts to place new regulations on firearms aren't likely to be resurrected in this Congress.

Mr. Bloomberg's organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, hired a team that included SKDKnickerbocker and Tom Synhorst of DCI Group, dividing the work by political party, in essence tapping each to do what they do best -- run ads taking aim at the other side.

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"Republicans need to tell Donald Trump to shut up and get off the stage," said political consultant James Carville at the 4A's Transformation conference.

Strong statements by Louisiana native Mr. Carville and his wife, political consultant Mary Matalin, set the tone for a lively panel on the impact of branding and marketing on the presidential campaign. Chris Weil, CEO of IPG's Momentum Worldwide, moderated the panel.

Ms. Matalin, a Republican, kicked off the panel with a statement describing Mitt Romney's campaign operation as "two cans and a string."

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When you think about it, your typical political ad isn't much different from the pitch in a dating profile: "Here are my qualifications. Please like me!"

But a recent ad from Pete Snyder, former CEO of New Media Strategies, makes that connection abundantly clear and weirdly hilarious.

Snyder is aiming for the Lieutenant Governor's seat in Virginia. The next step in the process is getting the nomination at the Republican convention in May. And at the moment, he's in a crowded field of seven.

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Illinois state Rep. Robin Kelly is in the news today because she won a Democratic primary election held yesterday in Chicago. She was one of more than a dozen Democrats looking to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and she came out on top with a little help from a friend: Mike Bloomberg. The New York mayor has thrown his financial support behind Kelly specifically because she's in favor of gun control. (Mayor Bloomberg has been especially vocal about the need for new gun-control laws since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.)

CNN reports that Kelly's chief rival for the Democratic nomination, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, cited the nonstop barrage of negative ads against her in her concession speech. "There was $2.3 million dollars minimum spent against me," she said. "Someone timed it. Every seven and a half minutes there was a commercial."

What's remarkable about the negative messaging against Halvorson is not only that it made gun control a central issue, but portrayed the National Rifle Association as an unambiguous villain. For instance, in this spot from Independence USA, a Bloomberg-backed PAC, Halvorson and fellow candidate Toi Hutchinson are criticized for winning "A" ratings from the NRA. "They can't be trusted," a voiceover intones darkly.

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