Ron Paul NH TV Ads: They Know What They're Doing

[Thom1776]

They are experts and professionals, you people are not. So stop all the bitching and moaning over the ads.

My brother helped make political ads for one of the largest firms of its kind in NYC back in the 80s and 90s. He was involved in the production of ads for many campaigns. When I ran for congress in 1992, he helped me make two TV ads for next to nothing. They were highly effective and a huge factor in the large number of votes I received.

Ron Paul is running a series of five ads in NH over the next six weeks.

The first ad, the one that so many of you seem to have a problem with, is perfect:

It's simple, down-to-earth and meant to be nothing more than an introduction to the overwhelming majority of people in NH who have never even heard of Ron Paul. Its supposed to look cheap, the people are supposed to look like they are not professional actors, its supposed to be cheesy or campy or corny or whatever you want to call it. Why? Because its part I of V.

There are four ads to follow. Each ad is going to hit people in an increasingly deeper and more meaningful way. The impact of each ad in the series will be incremental. It's like the old saying: "You have to crawl before you walk, walk before you run." The effect of the first ad is NOT to overpower people. You can't get Ron Paul's message out to new people in thirty seconds.

The first ad is just saying: "There is this guy named Ron Paul running for President and a lot of regular people here in NH seem to like him". Now this is in the backs of their minds and they are at least AWARE of him. Next they are going to get the mailers, they will hear radio ads, they see the signs and bumper stickers.

By the time the SECOND ad comes out, they are going to want to pay attention to it because of the seed planted by the FIRST ad.

That is why the first ad seems so "bad" to many of you. Do you honestly think that they just threw some piece of crap together because they were rushed or didn't know how to make a good ad? They know exactly what they are doing. You will see by the time all five ads have been run.

 

[Grandson of Liberty]

Don't know if anyone has said it before or not, but it needed to be said, and you said it perfectly. Thanks.

 

[dspectre]

Thanks for the post.

I'm glad you put it up after all of the attacks on the first ad.

 

[billv]

Maybe it will be a good ad, the first one, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't like it. It leaves me at "OK, Ron Paul, so what." The second commercial I found was much more to the point and differentiating between candidates. If you are right, then the whole thing will work together but until then, I don't like the first ad.

 

[jake]

bang-on analysis,
now we wait for the follow-through ads

 

[libertythor]

New Hampshirites aren't looking for Hollywood BS. The ads are fine.

 

[JS4Pat]

The first ad, the one that so many of you seem to have a problem with, is perfect:

It's simple, down-to-earth and meant to be nothing more than an introduction to the overwhelming majority of people in NH who have never even heard of Ron Paul. Its supposed to look cheap, the people are supposed to look like they are not professional actors, its supposed to be cheesy or campy or corny or whatever you want to call it.

BS - It sucks.

Don't need to be a "professional" to know that!

 

[JS4Pat]

That strategy sounds fine - but ad #1 could have accomplished it 1000 times better than it did.

 

[SwooshOU]

As I think back to all the political ads I've seen in my life, the first Ron Paul ad is about as bad or as good as any other.

Political ads are not known for their emmy winning ability.

 

[LibertyEagle]

Geez, people. NOT AGAIN!!! Aren't 30 threads enough to bitch about one ad?

 

[TVMH]

We need a new sub-forum that is to be used solely for "Rants"...but I agree with the OP. (LOL...I wonder if the ad was targeted at people who know what "OP" means).

 

[austin356]

not this again.

But,

Again I agree with the strategy, it was only the execution of a good strategy that I had a problem with.

 

[dmspilot00]

Someone who produces a commercial with a person standing in front of a blank chromakey, and with an opening line of "I don't agree with Ron Paul" does not know what they are doing!

 

[leipo]

So many bad points about this video...
The first guy doesn't always agree with Ron Paul (aargh, very nice start), second guy comes off very insincere saying "actually, i agree with him most of the time" and then there is the undeclared gay guy who comes off very insecure (there is nothing wrong with gay people in a commercial but at least cast one who has been out of the closet for some time). Worst commercial ever!

 

[fj45lvr]

Well at least you admit that it "look cheap, the people are supposed to look like they are not professional actors, its supposed to be cheesy or campy or corny or whatever you want to call it."

I call it "garbage".....the "commercial time" is precious and ANY and EVERY ad needs to count ON ITS OWN MERITS and not as apart of some "hypothesized TRILOGY" that the people viewing it may or may not ever see.

Is it too hard to have an ad that actually speaks truth???

real cheese or fake cheese: you make the choice. I'll go for the genuine thing.



I'm still so pissed about it that I don't even want to donate another dime if they are that STUPID at the HQ .....that's how important I think it is. Over-reaction?? Well that is how much I care....kind of like being an avid fan and having to turn off the TV cause you don't want to see them getting blown out. Hopefully wiser minds will prevail.

 

[wgadget]

Okay, if the campaign is looking for cheap, campy and cheesy, we have a winner. They really DO know what they're doing.

Come to think of it, I just read an article that said that Romney's ads are WAY to slick and polished. I would imagine Hillary's and Obama's are, too, due to the megabucks they have to work with. Maybe the campaign is trying to drive home the poor but honest, cheesy but just like one of us theme. It will probably work.

I trust Dr. Paul and his judgment. He's won a lot more elections than I have.

 

[margomaps]

I respect the opinion of all the doubters of this ad/strategy. Heck, when I saw it for the first time, I had an extremely negative reaction to it. "Worst. Commercial. Ever."...or something along those lines.

But, the more times I see it, the more I realize that it's catching on...I'm tellin' 'ya!

 

[leipo]

Cheesy & campy is not bad, but the actors come across very insincere. And sincerity is one of Ron Paul's trade marks.

 

[fj45lvr]

this ad thing can be illustrated like this:

We possess "dynamite" and we choose instead to attempt the demolition with firecrackers.

you own a tractor and plow and yet you go out to work your fields with a garden ho.

You need to protect yourself from a violent intruder so you grab a flyswatter and leave your pistol on the table.

 

[margomaps]

this ad thing can be illustrated like this:

We possess "dynamite" and we choose instead to attempt the demolition with firecrackers.

you own a tractor and plow and yet you go out to work your fields with a garden ho.

You need to protect yourself from a violent intruder so you grab a flyswatter and leave your pistol on the table.

Dynamite, tractor, and pistol are commercials #3, #4, and #5. We're still on commercials #1 and #2. Patience.