This Presidential Campaign Ad Made Entirely From Stock Footage Is Identical To The Real Thing

Jobs. The economy. Healthcare. Leader. America. These are just some of the words Presidential candidates say, in reassuringly deep tones, to convince people to vote for them. Campaign ads, which are blanketing US TV screens to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, are so formulaic their shots of farm fields at sunrise and conservatively-dressed families can be predicted with depressing ease.

Now US-based stock footage and photo company Dissolve is taking advantage of the genre’s predictability to hawk its product while simultaneously taking the piss out of one of Presidential politics’ most infuriating tropes. Their newly-released Generic Campaign Ad, starring a pleasantly vague middle-aged man in rolled-up shirt sleeves standing at a lectern, shaking hands with men in overalls and talking seriously with other men in suits, is indistinguishable from almost every other Presidential campaign ad out there. It ain’t half bad.

Described by creator Kendra Eash as “a wry, absurdist take on presidential promotion,” the end result is “a blatantly pandering, verbally vacuous piece of political parody”. Given what happened to a similar bit of political satire dreamed up by the writers of Veep not too long ago, maybe Australia’s electoral season will feature Malcolm Turnbull promising a Liberal Party “for an Australian Australia”. Close your eyes and you can see it.