[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKHu_gM893Q] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyKkTjJ3lT4]
Not an entire review, but Just because I like them, here is Spitzer's newest entry. I like the fact they have two versions of the same ad, though I prefer the narrator version. The CG version I find hard to read and the CGs break up the visual flow.
Still good copy and nice visuals. I'm good with that.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7M9Y7Vcg4w&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffere9986&utm_medium=twitter] Not much to say about the video per se, but I thought this video was a good MacGuffin to talk about the comptroller race.
There's been a lot of talk about Spitzer coming back into politics. Most of it centered around the question of could Spitzer overcome his prostitution scandal. Missed in that conversation or maybe forgotten (mostly) is that Spitzer was a pretty awful governor before he resigned. I wonder if the prostitution scandal didn't actually save Spitzer's reputation. Is it easier to rebound from seeing a prostitute or being a horrible governor?
Well, since Scott Stringer thought it was his his civic duty to remind people that Spitzer's second act is really the same as his first -- claiming to be a reformer then letting everyone down).
Strategically this is probably the best way to go, smarter than pounding Spitzer on the prostitution scandal, which could seem less than honroable and everyone already knows about.
Now this is a video rather than an ad, but it makes the point, pretty straightforwardly. I found the quotes powerful and the press conference scene especially good.
This is Stringer's best shot to take down Spitzer, and to the extend that it starts a conversation that subverts Spitzer's appeal it will be successful. But, I wonder if people see two Spitzer's one the arrogant failed governor who failed and the other a gunslinging Attorney General who kept them safe from the predators of Wall Street and their kind.
Is making the race a referendum on Spitzer enough? I'm not sure. I think Spitzer's story is too strong in voters' minds. I think Stringer still needs to sell himself, this needs to be a choice for voters.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TYfjg0dILo] When I talk about confronting the elephant in the room, this is exactly what I mean. I when I said Weiner needed to own his mistakes, to incorporate his fall into the rationale for running again, this is what I mean. This ad grabs you right from the start, and it leads with the most important information in a direct way.
"When you dig yourself a whole you can either lie in the rest of your life or you can do something positive...." That's a great line. Spitzer appears to be talking to an interviewer, but regardless of whether it was written for him or he came up with it, it's good copy and it's well delievered. In fact, this ad reminded me of what I like about Spitzer. As I said to a friend, he may be a son of a bitch, but he's a son of a bitch who's on my side. That's really important in politics, but especially for a position like Comptroller, where,... well let's face it nobody really knows what they're supposed to do, but you know it's about making sure things run the way they're supposed to.
This ad also does a great job of telling a story. Who's side is Spitzer on? Yours. Who's he against? Wall Street, big banks, special interests. I think that works because it doesn't confuse listing issues or accomplishments with telling a story. The subtext could easily be... Once upon a time there was a guy who went after wall street and took on the powerful interests. They didn't like him very much. Then he made a mistake... Now, he's risen from the grave to right that wrong, they still don't like him very much. Good, fuck 'em.
I couldn't tell you exactly what he says in that section, but what he says is less important than the sense it conveys. (Frankly, I'm not sure what the lesson here is. Is it just a well delivered line? Is it his conviction or past story that we're familiar with?)
The spot loses me about 40 seconds in when he starts listing his accomplishments, "When I... blah... blah... blah..." Maybe it's because it seems more about him than us? Or maybe it's because it's a little on the nose, a little too much 4 instead of 2+2. I'd be alright with ending it with "Everyone deserves a fair shot." Think the "... even me" not only should have been left unsaid, I think it weakens everything that came before it. Is it about him or us? Is he the fallen hero seeking selfless redemtion slaying demons? (They do a great job of tapping that archetype, btw) Or is he a self-absorbed egomaniac who can't stand being our of the limelight?
I should also mention the visuals, the close up of the glasses, the empire state building shot, which are really good.
All in all, I think this is a really good spot, that has flaws, but also addresses the biggest hurdle Spitzer would face his own fall from grace.