So what do you think? Do you like the ad? Do you hate the ad? Is the ad going to backfire on Santorum? Will it benefit Santorum? Is Santorum's lead only temporary? How might Romney feel about this?
Below is the link to the video:
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Watch out for Rombo!
As February 28th, or the Michigan primary, creeps closer, Rick Santorum is taking a stronger stance to try and beat Romney. After winning Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, Santorum has started to lead in polls and has even started to beat Romney (although by a small margin). And now, Santorum is hoping to beat Romney in Michigan which will hopefully label him as the "conservative alternative." To do this, Santorum is planning on airing many "Rombo" ads to prove to voters that although they may see a lot of ads that tarnish Santorum's reputation, Santorum is still the better choice. Even in the ad, he admits that he does not have as much money compared to Romney. In the "Rombo" video, a Romney doppelganger has a gun that shoots poop (for lack of a more scholarly word). He tries to shoot at Santorum but misses every time. In the end, his gun is jammed and after trying to fix it, the Romney doppelganger accidentally shoots the poop at himself. After learning about ads, do you think this will be effective? Isn't it proven that audiences like contrast ads more than negative ads? On the Today Show's segment of Today's Professionals, a advertising executive came on the air to say that the ad is ingenious as every time a Romney ad comes on, the voters will think of the "Rombo" ad.
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5 comments:
I actually enjoyed watching the ads and thought it was very clever of Santorum and his admaker. Casting Romney as a candidate that relies on mud-slinging to win is sure to be on Michigan voters mind when they cast their votes.
It’s clear that so far Romney has a better head to head match up with the president than other republican candidates. Santorum would have to do more than the ad to pull the conservative votes. He needs to show clear differences between him and Romney by emphasizing Romney’s flip-flops, inconsistencies, and policy positions.
I have to applaud Santorum for smartly putting the ads early and so creating buzz around the ads; this is also more effective than last minute ads. I can see that the ads are becoming more negative this cycle. Romney, however, is not going to stay behind and probably is already spending millions on an ad attacking Santorum.
It's ironic that the ad includes that "Mitt Romney's ugly attacks are going to backfire" when the ad itself is an ugly attack on Romney. The ad is entertaining but I do not know if it will be effective. I think voters are aware that all candidates use attack ads, and Romney is just playing the game.
It is apparent that mudslinging has been taken to a new low. Santorum definitely intended to drop one on Romney but I think the incredulity of his ad will inevitably backfire on him. If viewers of this ad consequently respond negatively to Santorum, a heavy load will be lifted from the Romney administration which has been increasingly ridiculed for its lack of consistent conservative beliefs as well as "Romney-care." Personally, I believe Santorum let one out that he really shouldn't have. If Republicans intend to win this election, they should leave the negativity to the media.
I agree. I find it supremely ironic that Santorum made an attack ad criticizing attack ads. While I agree that Mitt Romney's attack ads have been scathing and may hurt him, I feel like Santorum's add is completely out of line. Whereas Romney's attack ads were generally based in reality and criticized the actual histories of opponents, I feel like Santorum's depiction of Romney as a man with a gun out of a control, a "Rambo" if you will, is a gross exaggeration.
On the bright side for Romney, this may just be the "bad ass" image that Romney has been searching for all year.
While I agree that Santorum's ads are hypocritical and rather out of line, they are entertaining, easy to remember, and fun to discuss, things that resonate with the general public. Santorum's advertising executive has a point - voters will have a difficult time forgetting "Rombo," although I'm not sure that image alone can generate votes in the long run.
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