"A lot of people think you have to get people angry to really move votes, " said political scientist Kerwin Swint, a professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia who wrote a book that examines political humor in ads.

CNN: latimes.com: A Nader action figure? Ad maverick signs on to team

He also used Twitter ads to promote a book by venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki called "Enchantment, " targeting users who expressed interest in the book's topic, persuasion tactics, by tweeting about it or searching for related information using Twitter's search feature.

WSJ: To Grow Big, Twitter Seeks Small Ads

In 1963, British advertising pioneer David Ogilvy, in his book Confessions of an Advertising Man, argued that ads should be all business, selling products by informing consumers rather than entertaining them.

FORBES: Creating the Perfect Super Bowl Ad