Which one of these is not like the others...

Long week for me as we head into the end stretch, but there were some interesting or instructive ads that I wanted to point to. Each one could have it's own post, but don't have the time for that, so I'll give you the ad infinitum version. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSQozWP-rM&feature=player_embedded]

Wow. Great production values, I wonder how much they spent on this ad?  Good ad, tells a story, is unexpected and clever, love the iPadish display of Wall St.  Makes me almost believe what they're saying.  Funny how much more powerful a story can be than straight facts. Also I appreciate that they stuck with the concept and subtitled the ad rather than doing it in english.  Top stuff here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb8jH-cVti8&feature=player_embedded]

A really clever execution, following one woman through her life and how Sharron Angle would effect her. Great graphic design behind the woman.  Wonderful ad.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNzwehop3ns]

This ad is a gimmick, and serves as a great contrast to the two earlier ads. While the others have a concept that accentuates the message, the opera frame in this ad basically goes... nowhere.  It's like two ads in one, yes you get the nice pay off at the with the face the music line, but really, it feels like a lot of sound and fury signifying... not much. If they really followed the concept, the singer would have sung an aria about Fiorina, that would have been awesome and also appropriate -- the tragedy of HP.

A tale of two ads

Two ads from the conservative American Crossroads: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy3xKL4vlc8]

The positive ad in Ohio is pretty good stuff. Nicely designed, I especially like the talking politician graphics they use both at the front and the end.  Not as fond of the middle section with the moving images of Portman, I much prefer the stills in the plan section, that seem to be a better fit for the overall scheme. Still, this is surprisingly good.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f85DHhYcqU4&wpisrc=nl_fix]

This ad in Colorado on the other hand.... I've talked before about trusting your concept.  This ad has a pretty good concept Bennet has spent X billions every day.  Whether it's a compelling message or not, is another argument, but graphically, the idea of a calendar and $2.5 billion in spending could be really nicely pushed home.

But instead of trusting the concept they muck it up with too many CG's, pictures of Bennet (why do we have to see the guy, you say his name 5 times, will the picture of him really drive the point home).  Then they mix the monthly calendar with the daily calendar, which is not a grave offense, but just adds to the visual clutter.

It's ironic because in their attempt to make this ad more clear, they made it less so.

Even Meat & Potatoes can taste good

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-hJgUnqX3w] This is a pretty basic ad about Meg Whitman.  Standard script, blah, blah, blah, but I think they did a great job making it look beautiful.  I love how the words come on the screen, the choice of some of the "generic" backgrounds, the graph paper look, the moving lights behind the images, it's a beautiful spot. There's not a moving image in the spot, yet it conveys a sense of motion.

Maybe a regular voter wouldn't notice those things, maybe it would make them connect to Whitman more, I think it would. Hell, I'm a Democrat, and I know the tricks, and I'd be inclined emotionally to vote for Whitman.  It's subtle, but effective.  The spot is like going to a fancy restaurant and ordering the meatloaf and mash potatoes. It's still meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but it's a cut above.  Good work.