Private Equity Group Aims to Relate to Average Americans

The private equity industry would like you to know that buyouts are not just about making Wall Street rich.

Such deals also benefit regular Americans, the industry's lobbying group says in an informational video posted online on Tuesday evening. The animated cartoon, from the Private Equity Growth Capital Council, is the latest installment in a continuing public relations campaign, which happens to be timed to the election year cycle.

“Average Americans in all 50 states benefit the most from the investments that private equity makes,” the narrator says, over an upbeat soundtrack.

The video says pension funds, university endowments and charities (and therefore, “average Americans”) are often invested in private equity, and that successful buyout deals can create jobs and promote local economic growth.

At one point in the video, private equity is depicted as extending a life preserver to a company that has erected an “S.O.S.” sign on its roof.

The industry has taken a public beating in the presidential race, as Mitt Romney‘s record at Bain Capital is scrutinized. Some pundits have taken aim at the Republican candidate's wealth, portraying him as a ruthless financier who took over companies at the expense of Main Street.

The lobbying group's campaign, known as “Private Equity at Work,” has previously highlighted deals by K.K.R., the Blackstone Group and Thoma Bravo.

While the latest video is not explicitly political, it does mention some potential swing states.

“When private equity investment helps companies grow or rebuild,” the narrator says, “the factory worker in Iowa, the I.T. specialist in Florida and the store manager in Virginia benefit.”