Ron Paul’s blimp is in the news because it’s flying near where I live. As the local news reports it,

“The blimp is being paid for by supporters who aren’t officially connected to Paul’s campaign. The blimp is scheduled to float up the East Coast past major cities.

The aerial billboard is emblazoned on one side with ‘Who is Ron Paul? Google Ron Paul.’ The other side reads ‘Ron Paul Revolution.’”

I’m not a Ron Paulite, but I find this first Presidential blimp to be a fascinating innovation in campaign communication. Obviously, it is an excellent example of communicative ISmarts.

But the blimp idea is also a fantastic illustration of analytical ISmarts–in the way it gets people to donate to Ron Paul’s campaign while getting around campaign finance rules. Ron Paul supporters created a private company, Liberty Political Advertising, LLC, to finance it. However, since Liberty Political Advertising is not a political action committee or officially affiliated with the Paul campaign, it is not subject to campaign finance laws or regulations. So supporters who pay for the blimp are not considered contributors, but are instead, purchasers!