Ahead of the Iowa caucus, Democratic Presidential candidate released an ad aimed directly at the heartstrings. In the commercial, Mr. Sanders was uncharacteristically quiet and left the heavy-lifting to the soundtrack, Simon & Garfunkel's 1969 track "America."

Created by Devine Mulvey Longabaugh, the idyllic spot pieces together vignettes of hardworking folks on farms and at their desks, interspersed with the country's pastoral landscapes and scenes of the candidate embraced warmly by his supporters on the campaign trail.

Halfway through, as the song reaches the lyrics, "They've all come to look for America," the ad introduces a flickering grid of the multi-cultural faces of Sanders supporters -- perhaps a subtle attempt to counter the perception that Mr. Sanders' supporters are mostly white. It then surges into more rally roars and cheers and it's not until the end that we finally hear Mr. Sanders' voice, saying, simply, "I'm Bernie Sanders, and I approve this message."

It's a completely different approach from that of Hillary Clinton, who gave a "speech" that spanned nearly 40 years in her ad.