Risky election ads pay off - except when they backfire spectacularly

In the midst of a very long campaign, it can sometimes seem as though all election adsoffer the same mix of seriousness and negativity. Butsome candidates are willing to take us in a different direction.

Here's a look at some of the more interesting ads and videos out there.

Note: Ads are produced by the candidates, their parties or their agents. They are embedded here for informational purposes only and their placement does not constitute an endorsement by CBC News.

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Just when you thought Canadian election ads were predictable and boring, alongcomes this B.C. candidate. In an epic, low-budget commercial, we see Wyatt Scottriding aCanada goose, slaying a dragon, talking about "indigenous people" in front of a Mayanbackdrop, instantly growing a beard, and using laser beams from his eyes to destroy agiant robot.

At the other end of the zaniness spectrum is this Ontario candidate's ad.

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What you might notice first in this nomination ad is the supercilious soundtrack. But what really moves it off the wall is the giddy, nonsensical editing style. Taken together, those production values easily overwhelm what the candidate is saying.

Now let's move back to the 2013 B.C. provincial election. The poll-leading oppositionleader was being pummeled by attack ads, so he responded with this playful attack onhimself.

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Perhaps B.C. voters didn't catch the irony, because Adrian Dix went from poll leader toelection loser.

Breaking through and being noticed in an election campaign is extremely difficult. But ifyour ad demonstrates little else than your ability to get attention, you haven't reallygiven viewers a reason to vote for you.

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However, sometimes a candidate is forced to match the zaniness of a front-runner, as inthe current U.S. Republican presidential primaries. Here, Ted Cruz tries to trump DonaldTrump's oafish absurdity by wrapping bacon around the barrel of a machine gun, thenfiring it until the bacon is cooked.

Of course, U.S. politicians are much better at kookiness than Canadians. Last summer, aFlorida Republican Congressional candidate ran anad in which he graphicallycompared career politicians to dirty diapers.

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He went on to lose the election, unlike this Republican who successfully ran for the U.S.Senate last November.

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Sometimes running silly ads can win candidates extra attention and votes. But if thoseads don't also communicate substantial content, the candidates themselves can end uplooking silly.

Bruce Chambers is a syndicated advertising columnist for CBC Radio.