In the Wild: Political Advertisements

Political advertising has produced some memorable moments in media—whether they’re good, bad or infamous. Every election cycle brings a fresh wave of commercials that may or may not resonate with viewers, but when Election Day passes, TV viewers across the U.S. no longer have to endure the onslaught of campaign-sponsored spots. At least for a few months.

This year’s cycle certainly wasn’t as active as a year ago, but there were some high-profile races that generated noise. New York City’s mayoral seat was up for grabs, New Jersey and Virginia had governor races and California voted on a redistricting measure. Even if you’re not living in those jurisdictions, you likely still got a fix of political ads through national campaigns. 

With Tuesday in the rearview mirror, it got CFX thinking about some of the memorable political spots we’ve seen:

I think the only political ad I have ever remembered was from 1992. Every Georgian alive at that time can probably still hum the jingle today. The television spot begins with 73-year-old Margie Lopp sitting in a swing and singing, “Let’s put Paul Coverdell in the Senate and put Wyche Fowler out.” It was campy even for the 1990s, but surprisingly catchy. And there’s even a loose cable tie. Coverdell won that race, and eventually Kyle McSlarrow served as his Chief of Staff. McSlarrow became President/CEO of NCTA in 2005 and during his tenure he tapped Republican political consultant Fred Davis to create a multi-media campaign for the association called “Cable: A Great American Success.” Davis was behind Coverdell’s ads after he was elected, but when we asked if he created the Margie Lopp spot, he responded, “I wish.” No one seems to have a clue who was behind it, though there’s some unsubstantiated lore here that jives with Davis’ memories. “I recall Paul telling me she did the song herself, and someone just filmed it with that era’s equivalent of a cell phone, so it’s possible no one ‘did it,’ and they just ran it sorta raw,” he said. For the record, Davis was behind another memorable political ad—Carly Fiorina’s “Demon Sheep” spot. – Amy Maclean

With apologies to my friends and colleagues, I don’t know if I’ll ever get the “I am speaking!” commercial out of my head. Those in Virginia might’ve seen Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger’s ad that rolls a clip of her opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, saying those words at an event in Buena Vista. Even the smallest soundbites can unfold into a viral moment—or something I repeat until who knows when. But beyond this year’s elections, it’s hard to forget former President Barack Obama featured Big Bird from “Sesame Street” in a 2012 ad in his campaign against Mitt Romney. Creative points go to George W. Bush’s windsurfing spot in the 2004 presidential race. – Noah Ziegler