Battle of the Bowlers

Senator Norm Coleman’s bubba bowlers are back, with a bite. This time, Norm has his acting troupe of faux Minnesontans scripted to slash his opponent, Al Franken.

With fresh news today that Franken still is tankin’, rapid response is required. Conventional political wisdom says Al Franken should change the subject back to the [...]

Product Placement in News Shows; Now There’s a Great Idea!

Just when you think we’ve plumbed the depths, we sail off another shelf into deeper waters…
According to today’s New York Times, there’s a growing trend of product placement on morning news shows at local television stations.  The report leads with the Las Vegas Fox affiliate that places McDonald’s breakfast drinks in front of its anchors [...]

He Shoots, He…?

- Loveland

Puck Him

He brought hockey back. He brought hockey back. He brought hockey back.
I’m not the sharpest knife in the tree, but I think that might just be the key message being driven home by U.S. Senator Norm Coleman’s campy new campaign ad.

Oh and by the way, he brought hockey back.
Forget [...]

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Edit ‘Em

What do you do when you don’t want to have a full debate on an issue where the voters oppose your position? Say, the Iraq War, which almost six out of ten Americans say was a mistake.
Edit.
That’s apparently the conclusion of Republican consultants who are producing pieces like this, that attempt to [...]

The State of Advertising Creativity

Once upon a time, Advertising Age’s Bob Garfield reminds us, there was an ad with a one-word script.
Eight years later, another creative genius dug deep for another idea to bill.
And, dude, I couldn’t remember the product behind either of them.
- Loveland

How do you prove ads work? Lie and deceive!

The company that owns the Philadelphia (type that five times fast) Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News — not to mention the related Web site philly.com — subjected its readers to a smattering of ads for an airline with an innovative pricing model. Derrie-Air (get it?) charges customers based on their own bulk: “the more [...]

The Importance of the Right Movie Reference

In this ad, Senator McCain refers to Senator Yes We Can as “Dr. No” for allegedly opposing, among many other things, nuclear power.

The ad from the Straight Talk Express is full of crooked claims, but the irony noted by factcheck.org is that McCain decided to organize an ad about nuclear power around the James Bond [...]

Garbage In, Garbage Out

I recently expressed admiration for Senator Norm Coleman’s nifty use of symbolism in a campaign television ad about the good Senator dutifully taking out the garbage.
Of course, when symbolism presents itself, a satirist could always satirize the symbolism.
Is there a satirist in the house?
Imagine a television ad with the same goofy music as [...]

Trash Talkin’ Norm

I dispute the base policy claim, but this is a pretty darn good piece of political advertising.

Humanize the candidate by showing him interacting in a loving relationship. Check.
Insulate the candidate from criticism by deploying human shield. Check.
Appeal to women voters by spotlighting unquestioning spousal submission. Check.
Appeal to men voters by highlighting the [...]