THE AD CAMPAIGN Nader Ad Breaks Formula See the original article at The New York Times » Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate for president, unveiled his first television commercial this week, the first truly irreverent candidate commercial of the 2000 election. A takeoff on the Mastercard "priceless" advertising campaign, the 30-second commercial is running on cable and on local broadcast stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; New York; and Washington. PRODUCER Northwoods Advertising (Bill Hillsman) ON THE SCREEN With "Hail to the Chief" playing, stock film rolls of Gov. George W. Bush of Texas and Vice President Al Gore greeting and speaking to supporters at various public functions, followed by a video montage of Mr. Nader through the years. SCRIPT Announcer: Grilled tenderloin for fund-raiser: $1,000 a plate. Campaign ads filled with half-truths: $10 million. Promises to special interest groups: over $10 billion. Finding out the truth: priceless. There are some things money can't buy. Without Ralph Nader in the presidential debates, the truth will come in last. Find out how you can help. Go to votenader.com. Vote Ralph Nader for president. ACCURACY With a cheeky spot like this, hyperbole is the name of the game, although one could easily make the case that millions going to "campaign ads filled with half-truths" is not off the mark. The reference to the cost of "promises to special interest groups" is a reflection of a central tenet of Mr. Nader's campaign, that without campaign finance reform, the major parties are beholden to those with deep pockets and are thus indistinguishable from each other. The spot's advocacy of Mr. Nader's inclusion in debates refers to a decision by the commission on presidential debates that only candidates with an average of 15 percent or more in five leading national polls will be allowed to participate. The threshold is virtually unattainable, say Mr. Nader and another third-party contender, Patrick J. Buchanan, without the national exposure of a televised debate. SCORECARD Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats will be happy about this spot. In other words, viewers may find it a genuine relief from the earnest biographical and issue advertisements on which the parties and major candidates have been spending tens of millions of dollars all summer. Mr. Nader's media consultant, Mr. Hillsman, was the mastermind of Paul Wellstone's successful media strategy in his 1990 race in Minnesota for the United States Senate, an offbeat campaign for an offbeat candidate that is now considered a classic. With an album of shots of a younger, crusading Mr. Nader, this spot takes advantage of his reputation for saying what others in politics will not. And it cleverly shades a scathing message in parody as it tries to connect with voters' cynicism about the way campaigns are financed. The use of the airwaves to make the case for Mr. Nader's continued presence on the airwaves, in the televised debates, is yet another of the spot's nifty nuances. PETER MARKS
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