March 29, 2011 06:18 PM UTC

Hancock's TV Time

• 3 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

We just had our first chance to take an in-depth look at Michael Hancock’s latest TV ad, and we’ve got to say, we’re impressed:

This is one of the better ads we’ve seen in the Denver Mayoral race, and it certainly does an effective job of painting a portrait of Hancock as a public servant. In fact, while we’ve thought the “We Are Denver” campaign angle has been a little cheesy and too vague to be effective, this is the kind of ad where that kind of slogan makes more sense.

It’s a good ad. It might be one of the best we’ve seen in this race so far, because it helps voters begin to differentiate Hancock among the other faceless candidates. The only problem with the ad is that it’s only effective if it is part of a bigger narrative about Hancock’s overall message, and we’re not sure that he’s got the time or money to expand on this theme.  

Let’s not forget that the same Michael Hancock whose story is so inspirational put his vote behind a pay increase for City Council members in the midst of Denver’s budget struggles. While this is a great ad to introduce Michael, it might just be drowned out by all the negative ads that can be run challenging his vote to increase his paycheck. Remember, Hancock is more than a little afraid of what Romer and his third-party supporters are going to be able to run against the councilman.

While Councilman Hancock has put away a sizeable amount for a TV buy, is it going to be enough? His fundraising numbers aren’t quite matching what Romer and Boigon are going to be able to spend on the remainder of the race. Above that, is there enough time left in the campaign for Hancock to ensure that he’ll make it through to the run-off? It’s all well and good that Hancock makes one hell of a candidate for a thirty second tv ad, but is he going to be able to effectively counter all the other media for all the other candidates?

Hancock may not have enough time or money to use this ad to propel a broader narrative, but at least we can say Hancock seems to be spending his TV money well thus far. If only he were raising more of it.

And hey, at least he shaved that moustache.