The standard tricks of political ads are no secret: Black-and-white imagery conveys negative associations, as does slow-motion video that makes people look like sloth-y monsters. Numbers, whether percentages or dollar amounts, included in mostly unqualified statements, convey the idea that something is factual, whether positive or negative. Smiling people surrounding a candidate conveys happiness, good times, and generally congenial thoughts. Close-ups on faces convey ugliness. Oh, and fear!

So now that the secrets of overpaid media consultants are in the public domain, why not utilize those tricks en masse?

That's what do-it-yourself ad agency Spot Runner is doing. Normally accustomed to getting your auto repair shop some TV commercial time for just $500 per spot (that's the cost of the creative, not air time), the cut-and-paste service is moving into the political arena, using those tried and true tactics for any public office hopeful.

That Spot Runner gets to call its service a "democratization" of media only helps its transition into political advertising. After all, don't Americans want everything to be more democratic? Below, watch the service get taken for a test drive.

[Slate]