Adwatch: Diaz releases first ad, targets Kenney and Williams

Type of Ad: Positive

Candidate: Nelson Diaz

By: Diaz for Mayor

Title: "Voices"

The Basics: Nelson Diaz enters the fray on TV with his first ad of the mayoral campaign, done by A/L Media of Chicago and Washington, D.C. It's mostly a biog piece titled "Voices." The ad that tries to do a lot of work in 30 seconds: tell Diaz's rags-to-riches story, give a sense of where he stands, and take a swipe at the two leading contenders in the race, Jim Kenney and Anthony Hardy Williams. A/L does a good job for their client. It tells his life story well, mostly through a series of snapshots, including pictures of Diaz with Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela. (If he had one with Pope Francis, it would be a hat trick.)

Crit: The narrative arc here is that Diaz was born poor, but with perseverance and pluck made his way to the top. The "Voices" are the ones that told him "No You Can't" and "It's Impossible." Segue to a shot of Tony Williams with the legend "You Can't Fix Schools without Vouchers," and Jim Kenney with the legend "You Can't Stop Police Brutality." It makes it clear Diaz disagrees. His campaign says the ad will be up on TV until Election Day, though we don't know the size of the buy.

What isn't said: If this ad had gone up several weeks ago, it would have made Diaz's numbers move. It still can — if the buy is big enough — but it's late to introduce yourself to voters for the first time.

Is the ad factual: Yes on the biog part, not so much on the stands of Williams and Kenney. Williams has never said the schools can't be fixed and that vouchers are the only answer. Kenney has never said it is impossible to end police brutality (leading the viewer to think he might favor police brutality.)

Grade: On our Pass/Fail scale, this is a solid PASS.