The mudslinging campaign ad might have met its match

If nothing else, maybe the mid-term elections will spell the end of the cliche political ad, in which some candidate puts on some flannel, chews on a little straw, surrounds him/herself with the kids and utters a bunch of cliches off bumper stickers.

Really, since Paul Wellstone and Jesse Ventura (both iconic ads produced by the same ad agency), when’s the last time there was a memorable political ad around here that you’d want to drop what you’re doing to watch?

AdFreak writes today that “something is changing” in political ads, documenting the political firm, WIN, which has already produced ads for candidates that led to surprising wins.

The latest client is actor Cynthia Nixon, who announced yesterday she’s running for governor of New York.

This, AdFreak says, is a new trend toward more personal narratives. WIN’s first ad was for Randy Bryce, who’s running for Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin congressional seat.

Wisconsin, in fact, will provide the test of whether the new ad style will stick. Last week, Kelda Roys unveiled this spot for her gubernatorial campaign. She makes her “elevator speech” while she breastfeeds.

“It’s refreshing to see work that hits close to home and doesn’t rely on fear or mudslinging,” AdFreak says.