2.5 million tax dollars went into this ad

[direct link]

What information does it relay?

1. The census is a "snapshot of America"
2. ???

No, really. I saw the first ad, where the same people propose the idea and in dry, uncomfortable, The Office-like humor, but even having seen both, the point remains... What information did this relay???

How about just paying some half-celebrity to sit on a stool in a dark turtleneck and talk about why you should participate in the census?

Instead we've got 2.5 million tax dollars spent in a tremendous recession with the ultimate accomplishment of telling us that the census is a "Snapshot of America."

How exactly does calling the census a "Snapshot of America" make people want to participate anyway? Is the idea that people like having their picture taken? What person out there saw this ad, and thought, "Snapshot of America? I want to be in the picture!"

What a waste.