MyDD Adwatch: Young Virginians and George Allen

Chris Bowers at MyDD is asking for opinions about a negative ad by Young Virginians for Racial Equality(no website yet) responding to George Allen and his foot-in-(racist)mouth comments.

The ad isn't great. It's slow, the jump cuts are poorly done, and the whole thing has a bad green-screen look to it. And I don't feel like the young virginians in the picture are speaking to me culturally. There's something not authentic about the speakers, even though the actual message is right on.

I think the most remarkable thing about the ad is that it was made at all. Ads directly targeting young voters like this are somewhat new (the exceptions being MTV/Rock the Vote's non-partisan Choose or Loose and a few ads in swing states in '04 by Compare Decide Vote). Distributing them via YouTube is even newer. I don't think it stands much of a chance of going viral, as Bowers asks, or even altering the narrative in the Allen campaign. That damage was already done when the original "macaca" comments circulated through YouTube.

I put in my .02 here. You should too. Help Young Virginians make a better ad.