Louisiana Political Ad Reminiscent of Old Crime Stoppers Ad
A new political advertisement has hit television and social media, and it reminds me of some old Crime Stoppers videos.
The reason? Because the creators of the video intended it to do just that.
I'm not endorsing one candidate over another in this post, I am just here to give my opinion on the production of the commercial.
My opinion: I think the production of the commercial is pretty good and, strategically, I think that the commercial is brilliant.
Here's the commercial - I'll break it down on the other side
The commercial is for Holden Hoggatt as he aims to unseat Congressman Clay Higgins in Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District.
Who doesn't remember when Congressman Clay Higgins was with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Department? People were talking about his Crime Stoppers commercials (public service announcements) around the water coolers for a hot minute because, let's face it - they were good.
So good, in fact, he was dubbed "The Cajun John Wayne".
Congressman Higgins was excellent in his role as the Crime Stoppers guy on television. His stance. His delivery. His stoic persona. His Blue Steel-esque glare into the camera. His promises (not threats!).
Take, for instance, Congressman (Captain) Higgins' Crime Stoppers video from Veteran's Day, 2015. It's nearly 2-and-a-half minutes of Higgins, speaking directly to the camera, thanking American veterans for their service.
What's so impressive about this video involves both the camera work and the fact that Congressman Higgins was able to do the video without editing.
So when I saw the new political ad that showed a man in a uniform very similar to the uniform Higgins used to wear, it made me pause and think, "will this be as good as Uncle Clay's videos?"
Well, the answer to that is mixed.
As for the message in the video, well, that's for people to take the way they want. I'm not going to get into the politics of the ad, even though it's a political ad.
But the performance of the actor in the video, and the way the ad was used, I think, are brilliant.
The actor does a good job (let's face it - it's tough to mimic anyone exactly), but I'll admit that he doesn't quite get the voice right. The uniform is close. The face - not so much.
It's close enough, though, to remind me of the old Crime Stoppers ads. And the pacing of the actor's delivery is fairly spot-on, as well.
Whether the ad works - I guess we'll find that out on November 8.
According to NOLA.com, Congressman Higgins "shrugged off" the ad, saying that he doesn't pay attention to political ads and that he doesn't even like politicians.
Since I showed a Holden Hoggatt campaign ad, in fairness, allow me to include a re-election campaign video from Congressman Clay Higgins.