Obama campaign to launch Iowa TV ads

Barack Obama's presidential campaign will launch its first television ad campaign this week in Iowa in what may be an attempt to raise the candidate's name recognition.

Some polls have shown that about 25 percent of adults still are not familiar with Barack Obama. Early polling often reflects a candidate's name recognition.

Among other possibilities is that the campaign will test which messages "click" with Iowa voters.

Two television ads will be used for this initial limited campaign.

A 60-second commercial, called "Choices," features Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe praising the decision Obama made after graduating from Harvard Law School to become a community organizer rather than a corporate lawyer.

The other 30-second spot, titled "Carry," has Illinois State Sen. Kirk Dilliard, a Republican, speaking about Obama's work in the Illinois Legislature, where Dillard praises him for supporting ethics reform, expanding child care and health coverage and tax credits for low-income workers.

Running ads this early could be a waste of money and the move might be meant to placate supporters worried about Obama's poll numbers, which have stalled recently.