meh. i think it's targeted largely at seniors. but, you have to remember that tv advertising is mostly a seniors game now, in the first place, because young people (which i'm describing pretty ridiculously as under 40) don't watch much tv in real-time; when we do, we set pvrs or stream things online, or even buy dvds. if it's intent is "don't freak out, old folks" - well, maybe it gets it's point across. i guess it's the "stay calm" meme in tv ad form. but, i think it will probably barely register at all for most people. it's like wallpaper. and, the few non-seniors that pay attention are going to get the message that this is an old guy appealing to old people.

i think it's well understood that the polling for the ndp for many years has exceeded election results because young people are less likely to vote. and, that might be a better read out of it: the ndp may be concerned that it's lead in the polls may not translate into actual votes, and is trying to appeal more to a demographic that is more likely to actually cast a ballot. the problem is that older people tend to lean right. but, as many have pointed out, this is broadly irrational. and, if i was mulcair, and i was looking to get seniors to vote, i'd be campaigning on health care - not clawing back the transfer increases until the budget balances.

as i've said elsewhere, i don't think it will do much harm. but, i don't think it will have a large effect, either.

www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-ad-hawk-ndp-mulcair-family-1.3218473