Hey, remember those eye-searingly bad web advertisements posted by Tayt Brooks’ superPAC, Vermonters First, for Wendy Wilton and Vince Illuzzi? The ones that appear to be the handiwork of a color-blind computer newbie equipped with a copy of Web Advertising For Dummies?
Well, turns out the ads are illegal as well as terrible.
See, both ads feature the state coat of arms in the background. And, as VTDigger reports, that’s a no-no under state law.
The intention behind the law, explained [Secretary of State Jim] Condos, is “to make sure that people don’t think that the state is providing an endorsement of a candidate or a product. Originally, the law wasn’t there for candidates, but more for products, for people not to use it to try to sell a product.”
Here, he said, “the product happens to be a candidate.”
In response, the Tayter took down the ads, explaining that “he was not aware that there is a restriction on the use of the image.”
So they’re gone. But thanks to my earlier posts, the awful ads continue to exist as images only — no active links — here on GMD, to serve as cautionary examples of what not to do for future generations of web designers. You’re welcome.