Yep, I was just thinking about this today while driving listening to Hannity play and replay the Ad ...
How the whole 'political broadcast' landscape has changed in this day and age of the Internet ... a politician can have their cake and eat it too!
An Ad is made, then 'pulled' for whatever reason before its run, then it turns up on YouTube and everyone sees or hears it, but it wasn't supposed to run in the first place(!). Then it becomes news in itself for its controversy, and is 'aired' even more, mostly on the Internet and talk radio and/or cable television.
It's the perfect storm in todays politics ... an Ad is run, but it's NOT run, it is denounced publically by a candidate, but that denouncement in itself give the Ad more airtime!
Like you say, BRILLIANT!
There’s a term for it... its called Viral Marketing/Advertising.