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It’s election season in North Carolina (again), and in a state that may very well determine which party controls both the White House and the Senate,  politicians and their supporters are spending a lot of money on TV ads. Everyone here at our Charlotte marketing agency has had a veritable snoot full of this year’s partisan primetime fare, which is why this “generic presidential campaign ad” released by stock footage company Dissolve makes for a refreshing bit of satire.

It shows an unnamed white male — “a person with a face” — and the popular campaign tactics used to personalize a candidate, including showing sepia-toned photos of their parents and images of a diverse collection of individuals in various industries suggesting the candidate’s broad appeal.

Around a minute into the ad, the tone shifts from optimistic messaging aimed at shoring up support from several demographic groups to demonizing a shadowy, unidentified political opponent.

“I love the sunrise and I hate thunderstorms, but my opponent disagrees with me. My opponent thinks thunderstorms are good,” the narrator says as ominous piano music starts on cue and scenes of nefarious hooded figures flash across the screen.

“These people? Why are they in your back yard? What do they want? Are they there to take all of your money? Are they there to kill you? Probably. Because I’m not president — yet.”