Apparently the McCain campaign in New Hampshire is going to open up the process of picking a TV ad and turn it into a bit of a contest that supporters can have some voice in.  This sounds like a great way to get people involved and engaged in the campaign.

From the Nashua Telegraph…

When you don’t have a lot of money and are staking all the hopes of your 2008 presidential run upon New Hampshire, it’s time to get local and creative.

That’s just what GOP hopeful John McCain, R-Ariz. intends to do with a first-of-its-kind contest involving local marketing executives to devise the best TV commercial for the holiday-shopping voter.

The trio of friendly contestants is:

• Paul Young: The Exeter activist and Calypso Communications point person has been a consultant with the McCain campaign. His credits include a stint as executive director of the Republican State Committee.

• Burke Advertising: Executive Jim Burke’s Merrimack company has served a variety of corporate and political clients since 1994, including Salem Republican Chuck Morse’s bid for Executive Council in 2006. Other clients include Tulley Automotive, the Inn & Spa at Mine Falls, Manchester Wolves, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Daniel Webster College and New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges.

• Wedu: Sean Owen is president and creative director of the Manchester firm, which specializes in targeted e-mail and Web-based marketing. Senate Republican leader Ted Gatsas used the firm for his campaign and that of the Senate GOP political action committee.

McCain political director Michael Dennehy said the group has a couple weeks to produce the spots, and the winner will be chosen by consulting with McCain’s state leadership team along with supporters via e-mail and at the candidate’s house parties.

“We’re going to use like a focus group of supporters to pick which ad to air, and the nominees will be shown on www.votemccainad.com,” Dennehy said.

“If we are going to pull this off, it has to be NewHampshire-focused and have more of a New Hampshire twist to it. We don’t have high-priced consultants. We’re going to do it differently in this campaign, and this demonstrates that old adage doesn’t apply to us that the national campaign doesn’t listen to the people on the ground here.” McCain hopes to have the spot up just before or after Thanksgiving Day, Dennehy added.