Political Ads

I haven’t seen many of the ads on TV that are bombarding almost every other state in the union. My homestate(s) voted on February 5th so I missed out on the saturation that OH, PA and TX got. I do, however, watch all (or almost all) of them online.

There have been a lot of good ads, some mediocre ones and a few so bad you can’t help wonder why you aren’t getting paid millions to write them.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be putting up some of my favorite from the 2008 cycle. Below is what I considered to be the best ad of the 2004 campaign:

It’s subtle, but it gets the point across well by evoking the memory of the famous 1984 “Bear” ad. The imagery is clear: in the dark woods, shadows prevent you from seeing clearly. Behind the trees lurks the pack of wolves waiting to pounce.

The final image is the best; just as the narrator says “weakness attracts those who are waiting to do America harm” the wolves get up and approach the camera. This is the perfect combination of visuals and voiceover. The viewer is left with a haunting feeling and can relate to the threat directly (who isn’t afraid of a pack of wolves?). They are coming, right now, for you. They sense weakness (Democrats) and John Kerry would leave you defenseless against them; your only hope is to vote for Bush!

Grade: A+