It'll Rot Your Brain: Campaign Ads Thread

[Meeker]

Brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Q1I9PrxtE4

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Q1I9PrxtE4

That looks like the exact type of ad I'd expect out of a campaign that's down by 8 with no real idea how to close the gap.

[tmthforu94]

Brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Q1I9PrxtE4

That looks like the exact type of ad I'd expect out of a campaign that's down by 8 with no real idea how to close the gap.

While I think it shows a lack of integrity on the McMahon camp's part, I think it does a very good job at reminding voters of the incident that caused him to lose his double-digit lead.

[cinyc]

Brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Q1I9PrxtE4

That looks like the exact type of ad I'd expect out of a campaign that's down by 8 with no real idea how to close the gap.

The ad was put out today in advance of tonight's debate.  It got some free press on the 6PM news in New York - so to that extent, it worked.  I prefered the ad with the two so-Connecticut women mocking Blumenthal's supposed lies in the car, though - it had a softer edge and seemed more effective.

I wonder if McMahon is going to try to get answer the question at the end (what else is Blumenthal lying about) at the debate.  We'll see in a few minutes.  (Debate is at 7PM on Fox CT - ctnow.com says they will stream it).

[Torie]

McMahon is doing just fine so far. I really like her style. She is one tough sister, yet stays composed. Blumenthal comes across as a weak and rather hesitant nebbish, relying on cliches and generalizations. He pushed hard on the evils of buying products from foreign nations (aka sending jobs overseas), as if interfering with that process is actually possible, putting aside its highly dubious wisdom (e.g retaliation and trade wars).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What a dumb ad. The Vietnam story is far spun out.

[cinyc]

McMahon is doing just fine so far. I really like her style. She is one tough sister, yet stays composed. Blumenthal comes across as a weak and rather hesitant nebbish, relying on cliches and generalizations. He pushed hard on the evils of buying products from foreign nations (aka sending jobs overseas), as if interfering with that process is actually possible, putting aside its highly dubious wisdom (e.g retaliation and trade wars).

I thought they both debated reasonably well.  Blumenthal is who he is, and Connecticut is used to his sometime-hesitant style by now.  Both sounded like they know what they're talking about (well, except Blumenthal on the evils of the WWE buying products from overseas - but that type of crap sells well with some voters).

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

[xavier110]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

That moving blue/violet background proves that she is a witch..what a terrible choice of color.

[Lunar]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

Not the worst thing in the world to personify her and make her seem human after all these stories, even if what she was saying is awkward and flat

[tmthforu94]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

Not the worst thing in the world to personify her and make her seem human after all these stories, even if what she was saying is awkward and flat

Yeah. I'm just worried people will be scared of themselves after watching this...

[Beet]

Humanizing herself is a good idea IMO, BUT, the whole "I'm you" thing is creepy, a violation, like rape almost. She's me? Wtf? I thought I was me. I hope to hell it doesn't work.

[Capitan Zapp Brannigan]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

What if I'm a witch? Wouldn't she have lied then?

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

Not the worst thing in the world to personify her and make her seem human after all these stories, even if what she was saying is awkward and flat

Are we watching the same commercial? She doesn't come across as human in that ad at all.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The comments I think sum up the reaction to the ad well. A lot of "You're not me, I masturbate!" type stuff.

[Lunar]

Okay, um, wow. Christine O'Donnell is up on the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

"I'm not a witch, I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you."

...yeah.

Not the worst thing in the world to personify her and make her seem human after all these stories, even if what she was saying is awkward and flat

Are we watching the same commercial? She doesn't come across as human in that ad at all.

Okay, rewatching, it's a bit creepy


Buuuuuuuut, there are some smart notes to the ad.  Like note the beginning hook, "I'm not a witch" -- that's both an attention grabber [important] and a strawman for her to defeat in the next 25 seconds.  That's professional work and thought process.  They know some people have heard "Christine O'Donnell" and "witch" in the same sentence, so they can victimize her by pretending that she's currently being called a witch.

She's relatively likable on TV, she comes across much more affable than a lot of other mainstream politicians this cycle, even though she says some crazy things.  The "I'm one of you" catchphrase is, eh, interesting, but they worked that message into the ad.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

There is not an ounce of substance in the ad. It's the worst of nothing but meaningless platitudes.

Also she looks and sounds like she's 20. Now that might be deliberate, but I'm not sure it's the type of image someone running for Senate wants to project.

[Lunar]

There is not an ounce of substance in the ad. It's the worst of nothing but meaningless platitudes.

What do you think is a bigger decision for non-political junkies?  Buying a car or voting?

And, have you seen serious car corporations invest millions of dollars into car ads that are nothing but meaningless platitudes?  Do you think Crest wins over Colgate consumers through superior argument or something?  These are television ads here.

I'm not saying the ad is good, because it's not, but y'all have to have the right angle as to why it's bad.

[Torie]

What does "I will go to Washington" and do what you do," mean?  I mean, if I went to Washington, what I would do, is get laid as often as possible, given my celebrity, with hotter and younger looking folks than I can get into bed now - hopefully. Isn't that what Joe Six Pack would do, or folks like me shooting up hormones?  

The first part of the ad was pretty effective. I mean, when you have such an odd resume, and have such odd comments, you might as well cede that (which she basically did - that is the subtext), and try to look to the future. I doubt O'Donnell enjoyed making this ad (her type don't like to admit that they got anything wrong, and I suspect she still believes all of her nutterdom, lock, stock and barrel), but her new expensive handlers told her to suck it up, and just do it.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Q1I9PrxtE4

If you never heard about Blumenthal lying about his military service, you would not understand the ad or believe the allegations...

It's time for Blumenthal to have an ad with veterans backing him and talking about he "fought" for them.

[Lunar]

Brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Q1I9PrxtE4

If you never heard about Blumenthal lying about his military service, you would not understand the ad or believe the allegations...

It's time for Blumenthal to have an ad with veterans backing him and talking about he "fought" for them.

it's coming

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

http://richardblumenthal.com/action/ConventionVideo?utm_source=sp3022122&utm_medium=e&sc=sp3022122

I don't know if Blumenthal has already made any ads with some of these, he might have, but cutting these stories to 30-second bits would make great ads.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Okay, rewatching, it's a bit creepy


Buuuuuuuut, there are some smart notes to the ad.  Like note the beginning hook, "I'm not a witch" -- that's both an attention grabber [important] and a strawman for her to defeat in the next 25 seconds.  That's professional work and thought process.  They know some people have heard "Christine O'Donnell" and "witch" in the same sentence, so they can victimize her by pretending that she's currently being called a witch.

She's relatively likable on TV, she comes across much more affable than a lot of other mainstream politicians this cycle, even though she says some crazy things.  The "I'm one of you" catchphrase is, eh, interesting, but they worked that message into the ad.

Oh, if I was designing the ad, I'd have taken a swing at the "witch" charge too. It may have been more effective, though, with a bit of "Steele" light-heartedness.

The ad could have done two jobs at once: imply that the other charges against her are as ridiculous and irrelevant as the witch one, and given the Dems a black eye for their desire to talk about witchcraft and masturbation through fifteen-year-old sound bites rather than the actual problems of 2010 (of which there are so many). Instead, given her delivery, I don't think it even did one.

[Lief 🗽]

http://richardblumenthal.com/action/ConventionVideo?utm_source=sp3022122&utm_medium=e&sc=sp3022122

I don't know if Blumenthal has already made any ads with some of these, he might have, but cutting these stories to 30-second bits would make great ads.

Yeah, that video is terrific. He better be making 30-second (or even 1-minute, I guess) spots out of it.

[Lunar]

from Politico: GOV RACE EXCLUSIVE – FIRST CRIST, THEN CAHILL, THEN … The Democratic Governors Association wants to make former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee the next independent candidate to collapse from the strain of his political balancing act, going up with a statewide saturation buy aimed at Chafee’s tax policies. “Have you taken a close look at Lincoln Chafee’s plan to increase the sales tax?” the ad asks, as a list of products the tax would affect scrolls on screen. “Chafee would raise taxes on clothes, groceries, medicine, gas, heating for your home – even on textbooks and school lunches.” Other items listed include newspapers, medical equipment, nursing home fees and – wait for it – coffins.

MORE – THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHESS: But this is Democratic Rhode Island, where Chafee’s pulling support from moderate Democrat Frank Caprio’s left side, so the DGA’s spot ends with a compassion-heavy pitch. “Some Rhode Islanders can afford Lincoln Chafee’s new tax, but there are too many more who can’t,” the ad warns, as images of an African-American man, and then a white woman and her young son, appear on screen. “If you care about those who are struggling, Lincoln Chafee’s tax plan is wrong for you.” Watch the spot here http://bit.ly/cm8U7V