We were all left befuddled, dazed and amazed by the ridiculous demon sheep political ad we posted yesterday and now we know who to thank for its creation.
Michael Scherer at Time reveals that the “mastermind” is none other than Fred Davis III, a Republican with 80’s hair dwelling in La La Land whose media consultancy Strategic Perception has helped concoct attack ads on behalf of the McCain ’08 campaign (Obama “Celebrity”) and against infamous governor Rod Blagojevich (below).
Davis’ surreal sheep effort, which is for former HP CEO Carly Fiorina’s GOP campaign, has garnered over 120,000 views since its launch this week according to the report. He tells Time, “In California, it costs almost $5 million to fund one 30-second TV spot statewide. We have to go out of the way to get attention. I would say we probably got more attention on this little sheep film that they would get for $10 million of advertising.”
While the Supreme Court has given plenty of latitude to corporations who want to finance political campaigns, it seems that Davis is sticking to his viral approach: build a cheap-looking, over-the-top campaign ad and they will come. This is relayed in his message to clients: “You can pay a whole lot of money to get your message in front of eyeballs, or you can go out on a limb a little bit.”
More: “Supreme Court Ruling Could Mix Big Corporate Cash with Political Ads”