In his 1957 book “Hidden Persuaders” Vance Packard exposed the way advertisers manipulated the subconscious minds of consumers. Pop sociologists in the 1970s built on Packard’s thesis and warned of subliminal advertising that enticed consumers through hidden sexual messages. How many of you remember searching magazine liquor ads looking for naked ladies in ice cubes?

Today, I institute my 2006 Vance Packard Political Advertising Awards. Most of the campaign ads are subtle rather than subliminal. And most aren’t even very subtle. After watching several ads in a row, my husband asked: “How dumb do they think voters are?” Good question.

Best use of children: Peter Goldmark is running for the U.S. House of Representatives. In TV ads, in still photos and in videos on Goldmark’s Web site, his five grown children are featured in sunset-dappled ranch scenes. Some wear cowboy hats. They are all so nice-looking that they could pose for Western wear catalogues.

Honorable mention: Sam, featured in a TV ad for Idaho gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brady, is pretty darn cute, too.

Worst use of children: A direct mail piece and a TV ad both attack Washington state Sen. Brad Benson for his supposed laxness on sex abusers. In the TV ad, several serious-looking children are featured. In the direct mail ad, a sad girl holds a teddy bear. The children are obviously models and actors. Considering the topic, it seems a bit abusive for children to participate in these ads.

Most authentic clip art: Models who are supposed to resemble “ordinary” people pose for clip art. You see clip art when you buy photo frames with generic photos in them. And sometimes you’ll see clip art accompanying magazine articles. Clip art is ubiquitous this election season.

In one direct mail piece, a worried man looks at a utility bill. The caption beneath the photo reads: “Representative John Serben knows it can be hard to make ends meet.” The clip-art man looks enough like Serben that, at first glance, I thought it was the actual Washington state legislator.

Least authentic clip art: The Washington Realtors sent out direct mail in support of Benson, but the people in the ad look as if they live in rich suburbs surrounding New York City. They have ultra-trim physiques and wear cable-knit sweaters. Can’t picture them living in Spokane.

Most negatively used body part: The mouth wins this year. An ad against U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris shows her floating out of a wheat field with her lips pursed, as if she’s just bitten into a lemon. An attack ad against Democrat Larry Grant, who is running for Congress from Idaho, features a photo of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Her lips are twisted in a way that makes her look like a fool.

Tackiest photo: In an ad targeting Senate candidate Mike McGavick, two champagne glasses click together in one scene and in the next scene, a still photo shows a disheveled McGavick dressed as if he’s at a celebration. He looks the way people do when they’ve had one too many. Earlier in the campaign, McGavick admitted to a drunken driving arrest 13 years ago.

Honorable mention: In a Jerry Brady ad, Republican opponent Butch Otter is shown superimposed against the Capitol building in Boise. He looks like Sen. Ted Kennedy to me, an association no politician would desire, because Kennedy’s controversial history is written all over his face.

Wait a minute, Kennedy is a Democrat, as is Brady. The Kennedy-Otter resemblance in Brady’s ad was obviously unintentional — or was it?

This concludes my Vance Packard awards for this election season. So far, I haven’t found any naked ladies in ice cubes, but the elections are still nine shopping days away.