Mike Shannon – Media Buying Strategist, Bush-Cheney Campaign

Interviewer: Dr. Michael Nelson

Read or Download a complete transcription of the Mike Shannon interview.


Mike Shannnon served as Strategist for Media Buying, and deputy to Matthew Dowd, campaign strategist for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in 2004. Shannon currently serves as Partner at Vianovo in Austin, Texas. He advises clients on brand positioning, crisis management, market research and digital issues. He is also co-leader of the firm’s Mexico Energy Strategic Advisory (MESA) practice. Before joining Vianovo, Mike worked at the Boston Consulting Group. He is a veteran of two winning U.S. presidential campaigns, including the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, where he oversaw more than $200 million in media buys and helped drive research and digital strategy. Mike also served on the White House Staff, where he coordinated opinion research and strategic planning. In 2013, the Cook Political Report named Mike to its inaugural list of “Who’s Who in Big Political Data,” and his pieces on the politics of brands have been featured in the L.A. Times, Washington Post and National Journal.1


1 Mike Shannon Biography, Vianovo website, http://vianovo.com/team/mike-shannon.