The Fiorina Ad Wants You to Laugh With It

Trackback URL for this post:
http://race42012.com/2010/02/04/the-fiorina-ad-wants-you-to-laugh-with-it/trackback/

29 Responses to “The Fiorina Ad Wants You to Laugh With It”

1. WSU Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:21 pm

   Pop quiz: Anyone want to tell me the #1 goal of advertising?

2. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:24 pm

   The ad is meant to be light-hearted. You’re laughing with it, not at it.

   Comedy Fail.

3. WSU Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:25 pm

   Admin is Kavon, right?

   Let me ask you a question: do you remember that absolutely TERRIBLE ad campaign quiznos subs ran a few years ago?

4. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:26 pm

   Let me ask you a question: do you remember that absolutely TERRIBLE ad campaign quiznos subs ran a few years ago?

   Yes! I haaaated that ad campaign. Creepy and not funny in the slightest.

5. WSU Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:28 pm

   But it got you talking, right? It made you remember, right? Then it accomplished the goal – it got you talking, and it got their name out there.

   Is creepy sheep a great ad? No – but we’re talking about it, and I bet the Democrats are too. And I’d even go so far as to suggest that independents who probably weren’t that familiar with her campaign are now wondering who the heck she is.

6. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:30 pm

   The ad is meant to be light-hearted. You’re laughing with it, not at it.

   I also call BS on this.

   Everything in the ad is deathly serious from the outset. The tone is set with the ominous, authoritarian sounding voiceover. But the “demon sheep” part is supposed to be light-hearted and comedic? Give me a break.

7. WSU Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:31 pm

   The ad is bad, but that doesn’t mean its terrible. If it starts people talking about her campaign, eventually they’re gonna get about to talking about the actual substance of the ad.

   thats not a bad tradeoff.

8. Flip Dixon Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:43 pm

   Campbell is a dream come true for Fiorina, because he makes her look conservative by comparsion.

   She will move to Campbell’s right in a flashy manner, and marginalize DeVore.

   I think that’s her strategy in a nutshell.

9. Alex Knepper Says:
   February 4th, 2010 at 12:55 pm

   Everything in the ad is deathly serious from the outset. The tone is set with the ominous, authoritarian sounding voiceover. But the “demon sheep” part is supposed to be light-hearted and comedic? Give me a break.

   It’s funny because it’s deathly serious! That’s the joke!

10. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    It’s funny because it’s deathly serious! That’s the joke!

    Then it’s an epic fail in that regard, if nearly everyone who sees the ad needs this to be explained to them.

11. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    The ad is bad, but that doesn’t mean its terrible. If it starts people talking about her campaign, eventually they’re gonna get about to talking about the actual substance of the ad.

    The whole meme of “there is no such thing as bad publicity” is utterly false, and it is especially true in politics.

    How’s Janet Jackson’s career going after her “wardrobe malfunction”?

12. Alex Knepper Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    10 – That we can agree upon.

13. WSU Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:08 pm

    “The whole meme of “there is no such thing as bad publicity” is utterly false, and it is especially true in politics. ”

    Perhaps.

14. Tommy Boy Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:13 pm

    #11 Isn’t it going pretty well?

    In any event, it’s tough to see what Carly can do with this Campbell guy. She cannot outflank him as “only I can win” candidate or from the middle and she’s not a good fit for the “Campbell is too liberal” campaign.

15. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    #11 Isn’t it going pretty well?

    All I can speak for is the effect it had on me, which is something along the lines of: “I do not want anyone with this kind of judgment running under the banner of my political party.”

    That’s just me though…

    Jim Geraghty has an interesting take:

    Fiorina is behind, and she needs to shake up the race. After another day or two of mocking, it’s possible that this ad and the brouhaha will spur California media to look at Campbell’s record and see whether her criticisms are justified. And if that happens, then maybe he’ll lose some ground, and she’ll close the gap some. (On the other hand, the Chuck DeVore team has a DemonSheep.org site up already.)

    This is a Hail Mary of an ad, which means there’s a very good chance that it won’t work. But a lot of the “traditional” advertised approaches wouldn’t have worked either, and would have just blended in with all the other ads in a busy election cycle. By comparison, ten years from now, if you hear the word, “demonsheep,” you will probably start giggling and know exactly what it was.

    This was not my impression on the state of this race. In fact, I still fully expect Fiorina to pull this out. I honestly meant my criticisms to be constructive (I was actually hoping they would yank the ad altogether.)

    Maybe their internal polling is telling them something different? I don’t know… I am very surprised to hear someone assert that she is so far down that she needed some kind of “Hail Mary” to stir things up. I expected Campbell’s numbers to come back down to earth after the bounce from his entry subsided.

16. Tommy Boy Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    Kavon,

    I agree completely with you. It certainly appears as if this ad is serious. It’s going through Campbell’s record.

17. WiseGuy Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    I thought it was hilarious and I couldn’t stop smiling when I watched it.

    A grown man in a crazy sheep suit? Even the acronym F C I N O sounds funny.

    Of course it may not play well with other voters but to me it was obvious that it was tongue-in-cheek.

18. AI Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    Given her record of blunder and failure, they screwed up with a horrible ad, then are trying to spin it as if they meant it to be funny. It’s only funny in a creepy way.

    Seriously, a failed CEO who shipped our jobs overseas, fired 16,000 employees, was forced out for driving HP into the ground, but kept a golden parachute to boot, is not the type of fiscal leadership we need.

19. Tommy Boy Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:41 pm

    Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell poll

    http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=46f892ae-a8b6-409d-bb41-9e010789c62c

    Remain/Repeal

    Overall: 47/50
    Active Military: 68/28
    Non-Active Military: 42/56
    Veteran: 52/46
    Non-veteran: 40/57
    GOP: 59/38
    Indy: 50/47
    Dem: 33/65
    Conservative: 67/30
    Moderate: 51/46
    Liberal: 15/83

20. MPC Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    Chuck DeVore’s site is actually legitimately funny as a parody of Fiorina’s ad, the demon sheep and the use of “FCINO”

    http://demonsheep.org/demonsheep/

    Also like how he referred to it as “Terminator-esque”, indirectly associating Fiorina with Arnold.

21. Kristofer Lorelli Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    I am not commenting on this post, just on comment #11.

    Janet hits #1

    Dislodging Jack Johnson from the top after a three-week reign, Janet Jackson’s “Discipline” bows at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. The Island Def Jam set moved 181,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen Soundscan, becoming the artist’s sixth chart-topper.

    -

    Janet is on top, with little record promotion

    After a 30+ year career in the entertainment industry and a 20+ year career on top of the music charts- Janet Jackson shows no signs of giving up her position. Hits Daily Double guesstimates that Janet’s new CD, “Discipline” sold about 180,000 copies- enough to put it in the #1 position on this week’s Billboard chart. Janet didn’t start promoting her new CD until last week when she performed on Good Morning America and MTV’s TRL, which makes her sales even more impressive. Look for Janet to keep up the heavy promoting this week as well. Janet appeared on the Tyra Banks show earlier today and is scheduled to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live later on tonight.

22. AJNolte Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    Well, I just hope the entire race doesn’t end baaaaadly for us…

23. Win M. Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    #22 – Ouch.

24. Lex G. Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    This add was really funny! Isn’t an add successful if it is 1) memorable, 2) creates some buzz, 3) clear and concise message? And its gets a few laughs too. C’mon when the first frame hits with the guy in the fake sheep outfit and the red eyes, I was busting a gut. Corny? sure. But funny in a Family Guy sort of way.

25. Aron Goldman Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 11:05 pm

    Carly Fiorina’s Demon Sheep
    The California Senate candidate’s new Web video—portraying her primary rival as a demonic sheep—has gone viral, and been viciously mocked. Benjamin Sarlin talks to Fiorina’s camp about the response.
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-02-04/carly-fiorinas-demon-sheep/

    Or is Fiorina’s campaign crazy like a fox? A spokeswoman for Fiorina, Julie Soderlund, told The Daily Beast that they were “energized” by the ad’s response, citing its YouTube traffic as “a great success” and said that Campbell “played right into our hands” by sending out the video himself. The ad’s myriad critics are an asset—helping to spread the word—rather than a hindrance, this argument goes.

    “It’s been touted as the most genius ad ever all the way down to the worst, but no matter what, people are talking about it and it generates views,” Soderlund said. She added that the viral response to the video was intentional, “though we were surprised how far and wide it went—and very pleased.”

    The man behind the Web video is none other than Fred Davis, the Republican ad guru who cooked up John McCain’s legendary “Celebrity” ad that juxtaposed Barack Obama with images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears in 2008.

    Don’t be surprised if the Fiorina camp does more in this vein in the weeks ahead.

    “We can expect to see equally if not more shocking Web-based ads or videos coming from our campaign moving forward,” Soderlund said.

26. Aron Goldman Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    Limbaugh’s Barbs Test Palin’s Honest Outrage
    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=anEaeFteiOKE

    Palin Denounces Limbaugh Over ‘Retard’ Cracks, Glenn Beck Next?
    http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2010/02/04/palin-denounces-limbaugh-over-retard-cracks-glenn-beck-next.html

    Palin Camp Rips Limbaugh, Hits His “Retard” Comment As “Crude And Demeaning”
    http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/palin-camp-rips-limbaugh-hits-his-retard-comment-as-crude-and-demeaning/

    Sarah Palin miffed at Rick Perry aide’s use of ‘retarded’ as a slur
    http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/020410dnmetpalinperry.e628ea79.html

    Palin aide: Perry adviser’s remark ‘crude’ and ‘disrespectful’
    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/04/palin-aide-perry-advisers-remark-crude-and-disrespectful/?fbid=GtVlVKWqHXw

    Palin Camp Fires Back at Washington Post
    http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/02/04/palin-camp-fires-back-at-washington-post/?test=latestnews

    Sarah Palin should forget 2012 — and become the next Oprah instead
    by Andrea Tantaros
    http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/02/04/2010-02-04_sarah_palin_should_forget_2012__and_become_the_next_oprah_instead.html#ixzz0edCmMMVN

27. Sarah & Mike: Fox Superstars Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    “AI Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
    Given her record of blunder and failure, they screwed up with a horrible ad, then are trying to spin it as if they meant it to be funny. It’s only funny in a creepy way.

    Seriously, a failed CEO who shipped our jobs overseas, fired 16,000 employees, was forced out for driving HP into the ground, but kept a golden parachute to boot, is not the type of fiscal leadership we need”

    FTW!

28. Aron Goldman Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 11:34 pm

    Campbell: Fiorina in ‘full Mutton Meltdown mode’
    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/04/campbell-fiorina-in-full-mutton-meltdown-mode/?eref=politicalflipper&fbid=GtVlVKWqHXw

    “Carly Fiorina’s campaign is in full Mutton Meltdown mode, with an increasingly bizarre fixation on farm animals,” Campbell spokesman Jamie Fisfis said in a statement Thursday. “She’s admitted missing a decade’s worth of opportunities to vote for budget reform, but instead of offering solutions, all she has for voters are dogs, cats and demon-sheep.”

    Fisfis said that “contrary to Carly Fiorina’s insulting portrayal of fiscal conservatives as sheep, these are in fact involved people who engage the issues and ask tough questions. And unlike Carly Fiorina, they have fought alongside Tom Campbell on the front lines of spending reform and supported these reforms with their votes.”

    UPDATE: The Fiorina campaign argues that the “demon sheep” buzz is only drawing more attention to their message – that Campbell can’t be trusted when it comes to taxes and spending.

    “Our campaign is energized by the overwhelming response to this video because the message is getting out that Tom Campbell supports higher taxes and bigger government and that was our goal,” Fiorina spokeswoman Julie Soderlund said in an e-mail to CNN. “We thank the Campbell campaign for their strange and delayed response to this, which has only lead to more views of the video.”

    Fiorina’s team knocked Campbell for supporting a temporary gas tax hike to close California’s massive budget deficit.

    “We look forward to a continued, substantive debate about the issues and hope that Tom Campbell is willing to be more forthright than he has been with voters about the fact that he thinks more spending and more taxes are the answer,” Soderlund said.

29. Aron Goldman Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 11:39 pm

    Fiorina ‘Demon Sheep’ Ad’s Artistic Inspiration REVEALED
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/04/fiorina-demon-sheep-ads-a_n_449316.html