Using an Anchor

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCJdtgluBY&wpisrc=nl_fix] What's an anchor? As the fabulous Heath Brother describe it:

"Innovations require lots of explaining.... Explanations require lots of attention, but attention is scarce. So don't explain. Instead, anchor in what people already know."

This ad is "anchored" on  this DSCC ad from 2008:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs6xSmycny0]

Of course the original ad was used to attack a Republican, and that's the twist of this ad of course, it's being spun around to attack the Democrat. That's pretty ingenious, they deserve props for that.  I also think the ad does a good job of reflecting people's frustration with the state of our union.  The addition of the "grand-daughter" character is obviously a nod to demographic politics, she's actually appealing in the ad.

Now, I wasn't a huge fan of the original despite it's acclaim (I found it condescending and the characters insulting stereotypes of North Carolinians, but hey I'm from New York, so what do I know). Despite some of the political gobbledygook dialogue, I  think this ad does a good job, the anchor and twist, is both familiar and unexpected.