Has Obama Got The Killer Ad?

The following piece was produced by HuffPost's OffTheBus.

Sometimes it's nice to forget issues for a minute and just talk about something else, like the craft of political advertising. Like it or not, effective use of advertising has an awful lot to do with who wins the presidency.

Having just seen the new Barack Obama ad running in New Hampshire, I'm calling it the best political ad I've seen this year. The only other truly good ads I had seen were the Bill Richardson "Presidential Job Interview" spots that ran this summer, but I just watched those again and they pale in comparison to "Chances I Had."

Strategically, the Obama campaign has to capitalize on Hillary Clinton's biggest weakness, which is the simple fact that she is loathed by half the country. Whether such hatred is warranted or not is politically irrelevant. What matters is that after the last few years of sharply divided government, many Democrats and Independents I've talked to are looking for a candidate who has a little extra integrity and can command respect from disparate factions in government.

This ad aims to show that Obama is that candidate. Stylistically, it's a homerun, portraying Obama as a person who overcame difficulties because he was able to take advantage of educational opportunity. He looks and sounds presidential, and the last three lines will resonate very well with independents in New Hampshire, which is widely considered to be the nation's most libertarian state.

But government alone is not going to solve the problem. We need parents to turn off the television and instill in our children a sense of excellence. We've got to ask ourselves if we want the kind of world-class education that they need.

I predict this will be an effective ad in New Hampshire:

By contrast, here are the ads that helped Richardson raise his polling numbers this summer. He may have reached his ceiling as a candidate, but hey, these were some pretty good ads!

Discussion?

Comments

[cybrelocke]

I loved all of those ads. Obama's was on point, and Richardson's were surprisingly effective to me. Good stuff...

[Matt Simon - Huffpost Blogger]

I retract the "pale in comparison" comment. I now believe the Richardson ads were just as good at the Obama ad. Obama looks like the smart "dad next door" type, and that's the image he'll need to cultivate if he expects to win.

[Listen2me]

I don't see no p'ints about that ad that's better'n any other ad.

[Ono4Hoopono]

I especially like the part, "We've got to ask more of ourselves," and "Turn off the TV." Some thoughts we haven't heard for quite some time from our leaders.

Can you imagine a clear-eyed, straight-talking, real person for a president who also happens to be an expert on the constitution at this time in our nation's history?

What a breath of fresh air.