Editor’s Note: It’s an election year and that means lots of political commercials. Ad Watch is an occasional Civil Beat series in which we help you understand what you’re seeing and hearing when it comes to campaign messages from Hawaii candidates.

Give Neil Abercrombie credit for injecting a little humor into his re-election campaign for governor.

The first half-dozen or so spots released by his campaign have been pretty standard fare, posing with “locals” and talking up his care for keiki, kupuna and the economy.

Last week, the campaign shifted gears and started running a 15-minute spot on KFVE called “Bucket of Stars.”

Screen shot from the YouTube clip of Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s “Cab” commercial.

Abercrombie for Governor

It shows the warm and fuzzy side of Abercrombie, with vintage clips of 1950s and 1960s Hawaii and heartfelt testimonials about the governor from his wife and longtime friends.

Now Abercrombie is going for laughs. His latest 30-second spot shows the governor literally in the driver’s seat.

Watch the ad:

Here’s what the campaign says about its own ad:

Our latest TV spot, “Cab”, captures this enthusiasm and hope in the future. In it, you’ll see Neil’s lighter side. His charm and humor radiate on the screen. The ad also features an icon of his early days in public service – the yellow checker cab. 

It is a winning ad, even though the taxi in the ad is not the original yellow checker cab that Abercrombie used to drive around town.

It also appears the governor is not wearing a seat belt in the ad, though perhaps the cab is too old to have been fitted with a shoulder strap.

The governor is wearing a palaka-print shirt, however, a nod to plantation times. Will the new spot boost his campaign against state Sen. David Ige?

Meanwhile, Ige has yet to air a campaign commercial on TV. (He has paid for radio buys.) His campaign has compiled low-budget video testimonials, however, including this one:

The brief testimonial from a young woman, apparently filmed at an Ige campaign event, might appeal to young voters to support the gubernatorial candidate.

The challenge is that, unless voters are surfing YouTube or checking out Ige’s campaign website, they may not see the clip.

As Civil Beat has reported, Abercrombie has an enormous fundraising advantage over Ige, and he is spending a lot of it on advertising.

Here’s another recent clip from the governor, featuring a variety of folks praising Abercrombie’s record:

Abercrombie also has more than four-dozen well-produced testimonials on his campaign website.

The videos are short and effective, and they come from well-known people in the islands as well as average folks.

One of the better ones stars Eddie Flores Jr., the founder of L&L Drive-Inn and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue restaurants:

Ige may well have a chance at unseating the incumbent, as some polls have suggested.

But the governor continues to demonstrate that his campaign operation is quite competent in conveying a persuasive argument for giving him four more years in office.

Rounding out the latest ads in the governor’s race is one from Republican Duke Aiona.

Aiona, the former lieutenant governor, faces two relatively unknown candidates in the GOP primary. But he’s felt the need to remind voters of who he is.

Here’s Aiona’s latest:

“Mentoring Our Next Generation” is a warm spot starring island kids.

It doesn’t list policy issues or accomplishments, but the spot effectively makes Aiona look like a pretty caring guy who happens to want to be governor.

The Race for Lieutenant Governor

The Republican candidates for lieutenant governor don’t have the campaign funds to pay for major television buys (although Kimo Sutton just purchased some time on KFVE) , but the leading Democrats have enough cash to spend on ads.

Shan Tsutsui, the incumbent, continues to release smoothly crafted self-promotions.

The latest reminds voters that Tsutsui has a small-business background, and that he scored some successes as state Senate president:

Perhaps this spot is a response to his opponent, state Sen. Clayton Hee, who has emphasized his many legislative achievements in his own TV commercials. It’s difficult for an LG to rack up big accomplishments, given the position’s relative lack of authority.

Interestingly, Tsutsui says he supported President Barack Obama’s call to increase the federal minimum wage, though he does not mention that Congress has not agreed to pass enabling legislation.

He says nothing about Abercrombie’s call to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage, something that actually happened this past session of the Hawaii Legislature.

But then, it was Hee who wrote the legislation — something that the senator mentions a lot in the course of his own campaign.

Speaking of Hee, he currently has six testimonial videos on his campaign website. It includes this one:

Hee’s testimonials are strong endorsements of his candidacy. In addition to attorney Denise Antolini, they include former lawmaker Bob Nakata and Local 5, the hotel workers union.

The question is whether many people will ever see them. But if they do, they might be persuaded to vote for Hee.

OK, that takes care of gov and LG. On to Congress.

The Race for the U.S. Senate

The Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate don’t have sufficient funds to pay for television commercials, but the two leading Democrats do.

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa has released this new ad that stresses her wonkiness:

The ad, which seems to have been edited down from an arranged appearance in order to use the best parts, will appeal to people who want a senator “thinking” about the votes they make.

It’s true: Hanabusa really is a wonk. She really does read bills all the way through.

That can be sometimes a detriment when Hanabusa attempts to explain the bills in detail. But this spot is only 30 seconds in length and gets its job done.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’s latest commercial is another effort to ram home his commitment to Social Security:

The production values for Schatz’s spots have all been of high quality: well lit, touchingly scored, cozy, simple and pointed.

The candidate is presented as a brand, one easily absorbed by the viewing masses in between commercials for car dealerships and Hawaiian Airlines.

The attention to detail is also noteworthy: There are gray-haired kupuna in the foreground and background of this ad, and the candidate — who is filmed in a diner — appears to have ordered a loco moco for breakfast.

The Race for the 1st Congressional District

Tsutsui has a radio ad that features a little jingle at the end — “Shan Tsutsui … working hard … for you.”

Well, Donna Mercado Kim has gone one better. Her latest TV plug rewrites the 1958 Ritchie Valens song “Donna” but keeps its familiar refrain: “Oh, Donna, oh, Donna.”

Just listen. I mean watch:

Pretty good stuff, no?

It’s not clear where Kim, a candidate for the 1st Congressional District, stands on Iraq, immigration or Social Security, but “Oh, Donna” stays in the mind long after watching this political ad.

That’s the point, of course. (My favorite part of the song is when one of the doo-wop singers intones the words Mer-Caw-Doh-Kim.)

Another CD1 hopeful, Mark Takai, has two winning ads of his own currently on the air. Both feature family:

Most of us love to see a candidate’s family in ads because it humanizes them. That is very much the case in these clips that star Takai’s kids and sister.

Takai can be a forceful presence in state House committees, but in debates he seems to play it safe to the point of appearing bland. These ads provide color to the candidate.

Takai also manages to mention the issues of Social Security, Medicare and education — score, score, score.

A third CD1 wannabe, Ikaika Anderson, has his own lovely family on display in this new spot:

Anderson, a Honolulu City Councilman, is seen walking with his family on one of the two Windward Oahu beaches he worked to protect from commercial activity.

(Did you notice the matching aloha shirts and dresses? Nice touch.)

The ad’s narrator then makes a leap to Washington, saying Anderson will take his fight against profiteers to D.C.

OK, one more to go. Here’s another CD1 Democrat, Joey Manahan:

This mini-bio piece is not running on broadcast TV. Based on Manahan’s recent campaign finance report, he probably can’t afford the air time, unlike Kim and Takai.

But it’s a fine introduction to Manahan, heavy on the high cost of living here, his Filipino immigrant experience and the sacrifices his mother made for her son.

Good stuff, but how many will see it?

Stanley Chang — yet another CD1 candidate — has advertised on TV and just bought some more time, too. To the best of my knowledge, however, the cash-strapped Will Espero and Kathryn Xian have not.

Charles Djou, the leading Republican contender for the race, may be holding off on TV spending until after the primary.