Monday, August 28, 2006

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

It's name calling season in the Florida GOP governor primary.

Stevens & Schreifer client, Charlie Crist, calls their opponent Taxing Tom in a quickie cut and paste spot. (Does S&S not employ any graphic people at all? Someone send them a reel, quick!)

Tom Gallagher, through new media team Alfano-Leonardo, have a little fun with bumper stickers. And can someone tell this blog why there appears to be a steam locomotive driving through the first shot?

Sunday, August 27, 2006


Randy Graf Wants You To Close Your Door

This spot is notable only because the type is so ridiculous. Although it does distract from the horrible production values in the rest of the spot.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006


Maria Cantwell Knows How To Sign Things

We've noticed Karl Struble's working looking a bit better this time around, but it's hard for an old dog to remember his new tricks.

In the spot "Sound," Karl and Maria dig up the old "have an assistant bring in a folder with something for the important person to sign" gag.

Priceless.

Ben Cardin Doesn't Want To Offend Anybody

Democrat Senate candidate Ben Cardin and his media consultant Laguens Hamburger, have conveniently packed everything wrong with political advertising into one handy 30-second package.

The copy is meaningless drivel, the camera work is poor, the extras look horrified and the casting is a heavy-handed attempt to simulate some sort of United Nations.

Just awful.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Rick Santorum Makes With The Jokes

Well-known funny man Rick Santorum cracks a few one-liners in two spots from Brabender Cox.

In "Daily Bugle," Rick sits at his breakfast table and laughs off comments made about him in the newspapers. Oddy enough, Rick finds a newspaper that thinks he's too liberal.

Then, for some reason, Rick shows up at a polka party to talk about benefits for seniors. And who can resist a plucky senior telling a sitting United States Senator, "move it or lose it!"

If the Senate gig doesn't work out, Rick can always play the Poconos.

Steve Laffey Has A Depressing Life


We're not sure if the folks at Red Sea want us to vote for Steve Laffey or just feel sorry for him.

Here's the text of the TV spot called "Serious" probably because the title "So Depressing You'll Want To Hang Yourself" wouldn't fit on the slate.

STEVE LAFFEY: Politics should be about solving problems, not serving special interests.

I lost a brother to AIDS. My parents live on Social Security and Medicare, and Dad suffers from Alzheimer's.

(Text on screen: John & Mary Laffey)

Every day career politicians in Washington raid the Social Security trust fund to pay for their pet projects and their special interest deals.

As your senator, I won't stand for it. I'm Steve Laffey. I approve this message because it's time we stood up for what's right.


At Least They're Starting Off Nice

Mark Green -- the Republican Wisconsin Governor candidate -- introduced a cute self-deprecating spot featuring his family ala the opening spot from Mark Kennedy in the Minnesota Senate campaign. The difference here? The spot is framed as a response to his opponent's attack.

This spot it cute, but it's probably the last one in a campaign that's about to get nasty.

Saturday, August 12, 2006



Spitzer Knocks One Out Of The Park

Every once in a while someone does a political spot that, well, looks like a really good spot. NY Gov candidate Eliot Spitzer has delivered a very nice spot with an anthem called "Let It Shine."

It doesn't suck.

At all.

Strother Duffy Thinks It's 1976

What do you call an ad with no concept, no production values and no idea? Strother Duffy and their client Rod Smith call it "Count On It." Strother Duffy calls themselves "the oldest existing Democratic media firm" when they really mean they have the oldest existing ideas of any existing media firm.

Arnold Is A Real-Live Politician Now

McNally Temple, a political consultancy that oddly bills itself as working for labor unions and Republican candidates, has gone up with an ad for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association attacking Arnold Schwarzegger.

It's a decent little attack ad and never once makes any reference to acting or Hollywood? Does this mean Arnold has become a real-live politician?

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Overacting Is Not A Crime

But maybe it should be. Just because you've been in TV news for 30 years doesn't mean you can act. Here's the proof from Patty Weiss and McMahon, Squier and Associates.
The Guy In The Hoodie Is A Sexual Predator

How come all bad guys in political ads wear hoodies? You'd better not let Jon Kyl catch you in his neighborhood wearing one.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Dixon Davis Boring Us All To Tears

Dixon Davis proves once again that pit bulls aren't always good pets. Yes, they can sit on the couch with the kids, but they're much happier when they're tearing out someone's throat.

Their new spot "Strength" for Martin O'Malley's Maryland Governor campaign is another in a long line of tepid spots in this campaign.

No doubt, Dixon Davis is dying to go negative. If you have a poll that shows the race getting tighter, please send it to them right away.

Sunday, August 06, 2006


Michigan Melee

Michigan's Republican primary has grown a little fiesty here at the end. The probable winner, Mike Bouchard, has come under attack from millionaire preacher Keith Butler. Brabender Cox has produced a very nice ad calling Bouchard a career politician. (We can't show you the spot because Butler doesn't have the attack stuff posted on his website.)

Scott Howell & Co. has countered by basically ignoring Butler. They've gone back to the well of doing a spot with the candidate's child. In this one, called "Date", looks like they've found another winner.

The primary's Tuesday. We say Bouchard wins going away.

Bill Hillsman May Or May Not Have Run Out of Ideas

Bill Hillsman of North Woods is one of the best political ad makers out there. Or at least, he was. For the hotly contested Ned Lamont campaign, Bill parodied his own work with a spoke called "Where's Joe?" (A lukewarm send up of his legendary "Where's Rudy?" spot for Paul Wellstone.) Then he created an action figure of Kinky Friedman to use in a commercial. Just like he did for Jessie Ventura.

In North Woods' defense, they also delivered two really good spots with a dog barking at a Joe Lieberman sign and people dropping coins into a wishing well.

Shape up Bill, we're watching.