Rick Perry's New Ad

Rick Perry's campaign released a new ad on Tuesday. I just wanted to share my thoughts on it and invite others to express theirs:



This ad makes me think that perhaps Perry is a different breed of Republican than we've become accustomed to. I already know that his campaign strategist, Dave Carney, is a different breed of strategist. But this goes beyond mere strategy.

Perry actually adopted the "President Zero" tagline, which is exactly what all the right-wing talkers were suggesting on radio and cable news. That is a major curveball. I was not expecting any candidates to take advice from the talkers. That is a very anti-establishment move. That really demonstrates Perry's receptiveness to the conservative base.

As for the ad itself, it is extremely cinematic. The approach is not necessarily novel among political ads anymore, but it’s still not the norm. What sets this ad apart is its full embracing of that approach. He's not just dipping his toes in. This is a Hollywood movie trailer! The only thing missing is “Coming in 2012” at the end.

When I saw the nearly two-minute runtime I thought, oh boy, this is going to be unbearably long. Most people can’t maintain attention through 30-seconds of politicking. But when I watched, I found myself swept up in the ad. The time flew past and I found myself reacting with, it’s over already? I will confess a few emotional stirrings while watching the thing. I consider myself fairly well-versed in cinematic techniques, which generally renders me immune to its effects. What I’m trying to say is, that’s good theatre!

Back in 2008, Obama was praised for his modern campaign approach, his use of new media, and his cool Madison Avenue style branding. Even if his presidency is a resounding failure, no one can deny that Obama’s campaign was a rousing success. McCain’s campaign, in comparison, was tired, routine. It was a white-hair’s campaign in support of a white-hair. Sarah Palin was its only spark, and she proved to be a lightning rod.

Well, look out in 2012. Already, Obama is his own lightning rod. Should Perry get the GOP nod, he looks ready to bring the storm.

Comments

  1. AndrewPriceSeptember 28, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    tryanmax, I agree. While I don't think Perry will ultimately work out (he may, but I doubt it), this ad impressed me. The Republicans need to learn the art of marketing, something they've been horrible at! But this is the kind of ad that gives me hope that some of them are learning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. tryanmaxOctober 6, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    Oh, hey. I didn't realize you commented. Glad to have you here! I agree that Perry probably won't work out, either. But the ad was worth picking apart.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Real Reason Why Are Trucks Getting Bigger

Image
It's not "ego." It's a claim that you encounter a lot—an insult really—that people are buying bigger and bigger trucks to compensate for… something. Here's one particularly cringeworthy example, because the person making it doesn't seem to realize the go-kart he's praising doesn't meet US emissions standards.  whenever americans say that they *need* a massive pickup truck that gets 12mpg just show them the Subaru Sambar utility vs. ego pic.twitter.com/NqexDbQcok — sam (@sam_d_1995) May 11, 2022 In response, a lot of people will defend their big truck purchase by saying they need a larger vehicle for their family, their business, or just because they like it. And to an extent, market forces are partly responsible for the increase in truck sizes, particularly when it comes to features like crew cabs. But it turns out that even a lot of people who like the big trucks don't know the full story of how their trucks got so big. The rest of the story ...
Read more

The Gaffe that Almost Wasn’t

Image
The smear campaign against Cain continues   By now the internet, radio, television, and wagging tongues everywhere are all abuzz over the latest campaign blunder by Herman Cain. But is it really the gaffe everyone says it is? Or was it a selective editing job a la Ed Shultz ? Well, call me cynical, but I’ve seen enough media shenanigans to be suspicious of anything taken out of context and this definitely tripped my radar. In the clip that has gone viral (below), Cain does appear to be caught off-guard by a question on Libya, a topic he ought to have been ready for. My first reaction was to wonder how many clips like this land on editing room floors instead of online. In a world used to hyper-slick video and equally slick candidates, a moment of thought gathering can seem disastrous. Still, this isn’t about a some candidate’s “senior moment.” Rather, it is about a hatchet job gone awry. This clip was released by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel along with the entire half-hour interv...
Read more

Romney’s Pro-Life Position Not So New

Also: Say hello to the “Sev-Con” There’s a NYTimes article out over the weekend that is all the buzz today. The pull-quote du jour is by former Mitt Romney strategist Mike Murphy, who told National Review in 2005 that Romney "is a pro-life Mormon faking it as a pro-choice friendly." The preferred pick-apart is that this proves Romney will say and do anything to get elected. And, I admit, it certainly sounds damning. If nothing less, it was a poor choice of words. But this is old news. At the time Murphy issued a statement saying he had been misquoted. I’d say the facts support Murphy’s side of the story. The Times article tries to make more ado about Romney’s pro-life journey than there is. In 1994, when he ran against Ted Kennedy, he did not shy away from his personal opposition to abortion but positioned himself by saying “my personal beliefs, like the personal beliefs of other people, should not be brought into a political campaign.” He lost that race. In 2001, Romney e...
Read more