IndyStar Covers YouTube Ads

The Indianapolis Star has an article regarding the Greg Ballard YouTube videos produced by RepublicansRadio.com:

When Dan Heiwig and his colleagues wanted to help Republican mayoral candidate Greg Ballard, they did more than make a donation. They made a commercial.

Through the power of YouTube, the Internet site where anyone can post video, Heiwig and his partners at www.republicansradio.com have now aired three campaign commercials for Ballard.

Which is three more than the Ballard campaign itself has aired.

The cash-strapped campaign has yet to run a single ad, while Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson has already spent thousands of dollars on paid television advertising.

YouTube, though, is free. And since its founding only 21/2 years ago, in February 2005, it has begun to change grass-roots politics.

Instead of talking to their neighbors or posting yard signs, candidates’ supporters and critics can take their messages to thousands — even millions — of people.

Heiwig, a 26-year-old Indianapolis Republican, said he met Ballard and was impressed. But he knew that Ballard’s matchup with Peterson was “a David-and- Goliath situation.”

“They didn’t know who he was,” Heiwig said of voters. “Now they know who he is. Now they have a video.”

Heiwig said he put up the first ad criticizing Peterson and supporting Ballard “just to see.”

He let one person know about it, he said, and word spread quickly.

“The next thing I knew, everybody got it. I thought, ‘This is great,’ ” he said.

Rest of article: IndyStar.com