Against all odds, North Carolina's primary will actually matter this year, and quite a bit too since we have a disproportionate amount of delegates up for grabs. For weeks now there have been television and radio ads for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but this one in particular caught my eye. Politics completely aside, what a strikingly different political ad than I've ever seen before. Through shot choices, editing pace, text treatment, and music selection, this ad is totally different.



Politicians have done positive ads before, but not like this style. It all starts with the music, slightly uplifting, upbeat, bordering on fun. Patriotic orchestra music would have been too serious and status quo. The editing keeps pace with the music. Lots of quick shots for a short-attention-span audience, but not too fast that it's jarring. Text interstitials are nothing new but the simple crisp white on black didn't assault your eyes with the typical deep reds and blues of typical campaigns. And the subtle treatment of the text was very professional, with slight drifting motion, blur transistions, and bolding the key words. And last but not least, the choice of video shots. We saw far more of supporters and large enthusiastic crowds than of Barack Obama. It put the focus on we the people and made it not all about Obama. It gave you a feeling of Woodstock optimism.

Top to bottom, I thought this ad was brilliantly done (especially compared with typical political ad tactics), which is why I decided to writing about it. Again, I'm talking about the commercial only and not Barack Obama himself. However I will say that this ad did give me a more positive opinion of Obama. Not because of the well produced spot, but because Obama made the smart decision to surround himself with other people who knew what they were doing.

Labels: politics, television