Election Ads (kind of)

Happy Super Tuesday, everyone! Because so many media are covering SOME aspect of the election in some way or another, I thought I’d look at one we hadn’t talked about: Advertising. And I’m not talking about ads for the candidates.

This morning, I noticed two ads alone that somehow incorporated the “election theme” into the item they were trying to sell. First on Lifetime (a cable channel marketed towards women) they had an informational commercial about heart disease. For example, “Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women ages 65 and older. It's the second leading cause for women 45 to 64 and the third leading cause for women 25 to 44 years old.” <http://www.mylifetime.com/livinghealthy/getthefacts/ > At the end of the commercial, they closed with a line something like “Heart Disease isn’t just a health issue. It’s an election issue.” Hmm- I just found it odd that they threw in an election reference.

Another commercial I have seen recently (and find kind of ridiculous) is commercial for Swiffer. It shows the cleaner as a candidate in the election. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M24TR6ULIb0&feature=user >

I also saw an article about Pizza Hut incorporating the elections in a pizza ad.

Pizza Hut ad campaign spoofing 2008 election
By Tali Arbel
Associated Press

Pizza Hut is turning the 2008 election campaign into an ad campaign. The Yum Brands Inc. subsidiary has released a new commercial for low-priced pizza featuring sound clips of the presidential delegates and asking viewers to “please vote” just as the primary voting season is set to blast off with the Iowa caucuses.

The 30-second commercial uses a bewildering series of snippets of debate chatter to try and answer the questions, “What is your plan to improve the U.S. economy?” and “Are people seeing lower prices now?”

The ad, which is airing nationwide, then asks viewers if they are “Confused?” and presents a Pizza Hut pie as an easy cost-saving choice.

“We are also using our marketing clout to remind Americans to vote in this important presidential election, no matter their political affiliation or who they support,” in addition to selling pizza, said Scott Bergren, Pizza Hut Inc. president.

<http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801060410 >