The air war is on.
With less than two weeks to go until election day, the top contenders to replace David Miller are ramping up their print, radio, online and television overtures. The goal? To reach the voters they haven't been able to touch with more than nine months of on-the-ground stumping.
George Smitherman unveiled a new blitz Tuesday that includes the only television spots from a major candidate. (Giorgio Mammoliti's cheeky "outrageously in touch" TV ads didn't garner enough attention to keep him from quitting the race in July.)
Despite weeks of attacking front-runner Rob Ford, Mr. Smitherman has decided to accentuate the positive with ads that call the former deputy premier, "A man with a plan," who will "get it done."
The ad campaign appeals to electors on the left and right sides of the political spectrum. Some of the ads tout Mr. Smitherman's promise to freeze property taxes and hiring for a year, while others label him a "progressive mayor" - words he said were chosen with an eye to swiping votes from Joe Pantalone.
For his part, the 5-foot-1 deputy mayor comes across as downright cuddly in his "Small Wonder" campaign posters. But he's prickly on the radio.
Spots airing on four stations attack Mr. Ford and Mr. Smitherman for alleged schemes to take a "chainsaw to our city services," among other destructive acts.
The Pantalone campaign is planning another wave of ads, including one featuring a "special radio guest," whose name they won't divulge.
The Rossi campaign is also gearing up another wave of radio and online ads - its third - focused on Mr. Rossi's fiscal plan and the grassroots individuals who've jumped aboard their campaign.
Mr. Rossi's controversial mafia-themed advertisements, introduced in September, have been removed from the candidate's website and replaced by a series narrated by Conservative MP Peter Kent that highlights the candidate's experience and his fiscal blueprint.
That was always the plan, said campaign manager Bernie Morton.
The edgy mafia spots were intended to grab the public's attention before the campaign fired the second and third salvos of their air war, he said.
Mr. Ford, meanwhile, has stayed largely below the radar. His radio spots are airing on nine stations, in heavy rotation during Toronto Maple Leafs' broadcasts on AM 640. His print ads, which have yet to debut, will run in Post City magazine and 18 ethnic weeklies.
The Globe asked two Toronto advertising gurus, David Crichton, partner-creative at GRIP LIMITED and Zak Mroueh, president and creative direct at Zulu Alpha Kilo, to review the candidates' print ads and posters.
Smitherman
David Crichton, partner-creative, GRIP LIMITED: "His stuff is more polished and obviously more professional in its approach. I suppose it's trying to convey some kind of personality and I'd call it an aggressive, authoritarian one. It just doesn't feel like it comes through. It feels pretty dry."
Zak Mroueh, president and creative director, Zulu Alpha Kilo: "It just feels very straight-laced. I'm sure everyone has a plan. But there's nothing compelling about it. So the intentions are good that you're going to demonstrate what makes you unique, but the way it comes across feels very boring and bland."
Ford
David Crichton: "It looks like a bumper sticker for an American president's campaign and not necessarily a good one at that. There's a lot of broad, sweeping blanket promises if you bother to read that far ... it looks like something I would see on a telephone poll and not necessarily [an ad]I would take seriously."
Zak Mroueh: "There's absolutely nothing compelling about that other than Ford for mayor. I don't know if he's playing off the fact that there was a president called Ford. I just don't see the point of that."
Rossi
David Crichton: "From an ad guy's perspective, it grabs your attention ... but I'm not sure I'd want a guy running the city who's using the mafia as a humorous way in."
Zak Mroueh: "I have to give it kudos. It's definitely the most daring and different campaign out there. I'm just not sure it endears this guy to the voter ... it feels like an attack ad, rather than an ad for [Mr. Rossi.]rdquo;
Pantalone
David Crichton: "I think his ads are the better ones. Interestingly, I don't think they provide any more information of what he will do ... but they create some personality and make you like [Mr. Pantalone.]It makes you think, you know what? He's an underdog. He's literally a small guy. You want to vote for the underdog. You want to root for the small guy."
Zak Mroueh: "I don't think the messaging is compelling ... it feels very gimmicky. It feels like they're just playing off a physical attribute, which isn't going to make you want to vote for him."