Campaigns Try To Expand Reach Of Ads
The race to the White House has kicked into high gear in Iowa and New Hampshire with presidential candidates spending millions on TV advertising.
As Early Show national correspondent Jeff Glor reports, the candidates are also counting on YouTube to stretch their ad dollars.
John McCain's campaign hasn't had much to cheer about so far. But in his new ad, a few funny moments from a debate were able to be spun into a clever commercial.
''A few days ago, Senator Clinton tried to spend $1 million on the Woodstock concert museum," McCain said a few weeks ago in Florida. ''Now my friends, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event. I was tied up at the time." (Watch the ad.)
Even his toughest opponents cheered him on after that line.
"It was clearly a scripted moment, but it reminded people that he was a war hero, he was a prisoner of war -- and it was trying to make Hillary look like this kind of flower child," says David Schwartz of the Museum of the Moving Image.
Schwartz is chief curator of "The Living Room Candidate" -- an online exhibit of presidential ads dating back to 1952.
"I think what we're going to see this year which we haven't seen so much in the past is candidates are going to try make entertaining ads, and funny ads," he says. "Because a humorous ad is something you're going to pass around on the Internet."
Bill Richardson is trying that with a mock job interview in an ad. (Watch the ad)
"What you really want to do is create an ad that turns into a news story, and then gets passed around," Schwartz adds.
That's exactly what happened with "Daisy" -- the most famous political ad ever. And Ronald Reagan's "Morning In America" spot which reminded people the country was back.
Also patriotic is a new John Edwards ad which just hit the airwaves in Iowa. (
)"The important thing about political ads is it's the one form of media that the candidates have complete control over. They script the ads, they choose how the candidate is going to look," Schwartz says.
Mitt Romney raised eyebrows while talking about jihad in a quaint, all-American backyard setting.
Others are taking jabs at each other.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say different things in ads about a controversial topic -- social security. (Watch the ads:
| )Who knows which ads will catch on. But ad watchers do know this -- an unforgettable 30 seconds on the air can lead to four years in the oval office.
"Looking at the commercials from 1952 to the present, usually the candidate that wins has the best TV ads," Schwartz adds.