Unbelievably terrible
I don’t want to get into politics here.. but…
this ad for Tarryl Clark (did you even know it was for her) is one of the worst political ads I have ever seen.
It is terribly because whoever made it has absolutely no understanding of how video and television work.
Look at the ad.
It’s wall to wall Michelle Bachmann.
Her name
Her picture.
Tarryl Clark’s name only comes up at the end, in text.
You never see a single shot of her. In fact, until I went to her website (to send her an email about how terrible her spot is), I didn’t even know if Tarryl is a man or a woman.
That is really terrible.
Television is a visual medium
We remember the visuals.
Almost no one pays attention to the content and the text – sad but true.
Many years ago, when Reagan was making his first run at the White House, Judy Woodruff, then working for CNN (I think) did a devastating piece on how the whole Reagan campaign was nothing but fluff. Lots of beauty shots of American and Reagan and music but no content.
As soon as the story ran, the phone rang. It was Michael Deaver, the media director for the Reagan campaign.
Woodruff was sure that Deaver was going to go nuts on the phone, complaining about bias and unfair reporting.
Quite to the contrary, Deaver thanked Woodruff for the piece. “Do more!” he said.
Woodruff didn’t understand. “It was an attack on the campaign”, she said.
“You don’t get it”, Deaver replied. “People only remember what they see. Lots of shots of Reagan, sunsets, flags… we loved it”.
Likewise with Tarryl Clark’s spot.
All you remember is Michelle Bachmann.
If this is the kind of campaign that Tarryl Clark is going to run against Michelle Bachmann, Michelle has nothing to worry about.
She should be paying Tarryl.
Maybe she is???
