The Today Show just had a good segment on this season's campaign ads. Matt Lauer talked to two ad execs to review the best ads. One guy said that we aren't going to see any more game changing "Willie Horton" ads, because TV ads are just one leg of entire campaign strategy. They have to promote their candidates on Twitter, Facebook, cable and with the help of online pundits.
Yes, a campaign has to be conducted on multiple front, but the ads are the primary vehicle. My Facebook friends love a funny ad and the "share" function can vastly expand the audience for an ad. Perhaps it's the end of the straight negative ad. The ads that appear to go viral are negative ads that are funny or really over the top.
Here are a few of the ads that have been most talked about this fall.
A good viral ad may even be so bad that it sparks SNL spoofs.
UPDATE: The Mayor ad is a parody. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who was fooled.
Apt. 11d 
Sam Katz is mayor of my home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I haven’t lived there for about 5 years, and don’t even have family there anymore. It’s interesting how things change though. When he first ran virtually all of my friends supported him. Now virtually all of them have commented at least once (favorably!) on that ad. He really hasn’t done a whole lot as mayor, though Winnipeg tends to be pretty incumbent friendly. I’d bet he gets reelected anyway.
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But is Katz a witch?
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