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Dean Switch Ad Campaign

Howard Dean, the well publicized Democratic Presidential Nominee, is putting together an ad campaign mimicking Apple's popular switch ads. Too bad they suck.

The reason why the Apple switch ads were so popular is because they had people with character and humor. They had Ellen Feiss. Who became a cult hit, with her own look-a-like contest.

Nice try Dean, but too bad your ass got saaaaaaacked!

7 Comments

While I do appreciate the Apple ads for their "character and humor" I do have to say that the Dean ads hit their mark as intended. The majority of the masses have "character and humor" but simply don't wear it on their sleeves! I would venture to guess that most people with the vote are more likely to relate to the Dean ads than the Apple cuties whether they wanted to or not. Most folk have more on their minds than whether or not they have the trendiest hair style or even if their shoes match the rest of their ensemble. Those folks have just as much right to express their ideas as anyone else. Dean, as has his campaign, is not taking the walk down Madison Ave to glam up his product like many of the candidates before him. By staying true to his message of the potential for real leadership he should have the upperhand. Unfortunately, due to criticism of this nature, it is likely that people who like this website (I count myself among them) might be swayed away from a potentially worthy candidate simply because his ad campaign isn't hip enough. I prefer criticism on political candidates based on their ideas not their "image". Love you Stephen!

Allison, I'd like to introduce you to your brother Stephen. The trendiest hair style and shoes are the least of worries for a man with that sofa and rug. He is a label whore! :)

I do agree with the argument that the content is more important than the style that conveys it, but that importance is lost on the masses. Politics is largely based on image, look at the Nixon-Kennedy debates. To get elected you need to convey a persona that the public wants to lead them, be it the saved-alcoholic-cowboy-everyman or the charming-bad-boy-everyman.

As a republic aren't we electing people to do what in our best interests, even if it's unpopular? The politician needs to convey that they can be trusted to do the right thing, and every part of their public image is sculpted to do that. Even Dean (my current pick) has a carefully crafted "outsider" image, one that might take a hit if his ads were as carefully scripted as Apple's or VW's. While both those brands work with the Ann Arbor crowd, they fail to resonate with middle America.

Finally, I don't think that these ads are actually products of the Dean campaign, the FEC requires all ads to include information on who is airing it. These seem more like something that some fans did, and as such shouldn't be taken as an indication of Dean's intent.

My post was purely a criticism of Howard Dean's ad campaign and its success or failure as an ad campaign. I think it failed because it didn't capture the essence of Apple's origional ads. The Apple switch ads weren't about being trendy. They were about telling the stories of "average" people. Much like what Dean's campaign is trying to do. It's just that Apple found people that sounded passionate about computers in a non-threatening way to non-geeks.

I would of course agree with Allison that a candidate should be judged on what they stand for and not their ad campaigns. But if ad campaigns weren't effective ways of reaching people, they wouldn't be made. Unfortunately for Dean, his switch ads are not as effective as they could be. And therefore, his ass got saaaaaaacked!

Sorry, wrong blog.

Thank you Reverend--my dear brother is a label whore and I am glad I am not the one that said it. :-) (The long McKenna nose!)

Stevo -- I believe that the Dean ads are not trying to capture the essence of the Apple ads but to capture the concerns of the average American. Concerns such as whether or not they have a job or whether their children are being poisoned by big business and their need to save a buck. I could go on and on. I agree that the ads have a simple quality which is very much welcomed by me and I am sure many people that are sick and tired of trying to live up to the "beautiful" expectations of the world. So Steve I don't agree with you and since I'm older and therefore wiser ;-) you are wrong.

I'm taller. End of story. Next subject! Should George Bush be impeached? Vote now!

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