Elections And Their Commercials

Well, the election has come and gone. I have to admit that I will be glad to not be getting "robo-calls" from candidates and those that endorse them. I will also be glad to have all of the attack ads off the TV. Now, it is not that I don't mind politics, it is just that so many of the attack ads are just stupid. I wish politician would learn the simple lesson that the most memorable way to get across a message is just to either be very straight forward, without being sanctimonious, or to be genuinely funny. The only example I saw of the latter was in an ad against the mayor of Winnipeg Manitoba. They actually have a clip of this guy in a soccer match where he kicks a young player in the face! The commercial went viral and is high on the list of Youtube viewings. Now that is political advertisement! I suppose it is not very substantive, but it certainly is memorable and in politics that is half the battle.

So, here is to all those that spend millions of advertising dollars. I am sure the TV, radio, and newspaper people love you, but could you spend a little more money and come up with some better commercials? If you have no sense of humor then just be straight with the public and tell them what you want to do. Be specific without being a policy wonk. If, on the other hand, you do have some sense of what will bring a smile to our faces then by all means do so. The Lord knows we could all use a good laugh, and who knows it might just win you some votes. Really good humor is a sign of intelligence and the world needs smart folks at the helm. Prove you are one of them by finding a humorous way to get your message across.