An Effective Ad

Posted on August 12, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

I have no idea if the women I had lunch with today are representative of anything, but they were not part of the University and they thought that this ad was very effective and described it to me in some detail. Having now found it on the Internet, I'm surprised — it seems a little heavy-handed to me. But based on this unscientific sample, one target audience seems to love it…

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4 Responses to An Effective Ad

  1. Elton says:
    August 12, 2004 at 5:52 am

    I think the ad is very effective. It’s succinct and makes it point well.

  2. fiat lux says:
    August 12, 2004 at 10:16 am

    I found it somewhat manipulative but I can see how a soccer mom type would love it.

  3. peter jung says:
    August 12, 2004 at 12:05 pm

    I thought the ball and chain was a bit much. But the issue of long-term national debt needs to be emphasized, and this ad gets that point across well enough.

  4. paul lukasiak says:
    August 13, 2004 at 5:43 pm

    I think this is a great ad…in many ways, even more effective than Move-on’s winning add (Child’s Play?”)

    the ad gives you a few seconds to watch the child before the narration begins…the child’s actions do not change noticeably, so the audience’s attention becomes focussed on the narration. The narrator details the costs of the Iraq war, and you hear that. Then there is cut to the ball and chain….and although the narration continues, what the observer focusses on is the large black object in the foreground. At this point, the effect of the narration is practically subliminal, as the screen returns to the face of the child, this time distraught.

    The last shot “Misleader” superimposed over a picture of Bush, is not terribly effective, and to some extent harms the ads effectiveness by emphasizing the politic nature of the ad itself.

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