College GOP’s ‘Culturally Relevant’ Ad Compares Candidates To Dresses

The College Republican National Committee on Wednesday launched a digital ad campaign across 16 states in an attempt to be “culturally relevant,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

The first ad in a nearly $1 million campaign, “Say Yes To The Candidate,” is based on TLC’s “Say Yes To The Dress” and compares the Florida gubernatorial candidates to wedding dresses.

The ad opens with a woman explaining that she’s on a budget. She first tries on the Republican Rick Scott dress.

“The Rick Scott is perfect,” she says. “Rick Scott is becoming a trusted brand. He has new ideas that don’t break your budget.”

The woman’s mom prefers the Democratic Charlie Crist dress. She tells her daughter, “It’s expensive and a little outdated, but I know best.”

But of course, the Crist gown “comes with additional costs” like taxes, debt, and tuition increases, and the woman ultimately chooses the Rick Scott.

CRNC national chairman Alex Smith told the Wall Street Journal that the ads are geared toward experiences young people have every day.

“How do you reach the generation that has their earbuds in and their minds turned off to traditional advertising?” she said. “It’s our goal to start the conversation by presenting ourselves in a culturally relevant way.”

The CRNC also ran basically the same ad for the gubernatorial races in Illinois, Colorado, Arkansas, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Watch the ad:

This post has been updated.