Of all the lessons of great ad making, this tactical advice is more true now, and more ignored, than ever. Why is this more than a slight on pollsters? Because in an [[Attention Economy]],  getting attention gives you a chance. Holding it, means winning.  And it’s harder than ever. A basic fact of polling: respondents are on the phone with the telemarketer, paying attention to the questions that are asked of them.  Considering those questions, and responding.  Full attention. No fixed time limit. No video.  The swing voter, on the other hand, is generally trying to avoid politics and “all those ads”.  A spot is limited to 30 seconds, max; and their attention even less.  Most important, [[Humans Learn Visually]].  There is simply not enough time nor attention to list the 3-4 top issues from the poll and expect this viewer to come away with a coherent impression of your client.  A television ad written directly from the poll or it’s ‘top issues’ is an ad made for the wrong medium.  We're not telemarketing. [[Marshall McCluhan]] was right. [[The medium is still the message]]. Know what voters are hoping for, will respond to. Know your product, believe in the message and then use all of the tools of a visual medium. To paraphrase [[David Ogilvy]] make the ad so damn interesting that I just have to look. Pollsters can’t do that. A great ad maker can. ## But *Never* Ignore Good Data Understanding the electorate – their hopes, fears, and beliefs – is the cornerstone of a data-driven campaign.  So some nuance is in order. Once you understand the electorate and decide on an ad strategy, it’s up to an agency to execute that strategy.  And that starts with getting their attention.   We are all fighting for attention.  And if you make a TV ad from a pollster’s long script delivered by a drab telemarketer, well, your ad is likely not going to get noticed without buying a small fortune in frequency ([[Bad creative requiring massive frequency is a profit-maximizing tactic]] of many of the biggest brands in the political ad business today).