Occupying Fox News': See the Occupy Wall St. Ad that Aired During 'The O'Reilly Factor

If you can't beat them, advertise with them. This is apparently the new adage being embraced by filmmakers who are sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street protests.

At least one director and his associates have purchased ad space on Fox News and Bloomberg Business TV, among other outlets, in an effort to bring the Occupy message to opponents.

Believe it or not, the group even bought time on "The O'Reilly Factor." On Wednesday night, the pro-Occupy ad was slated to air three times during the program -- once during the 8 p.m. time slot and two times during the program's second showing at 11 p.m.

Host Bill O'Reilly, of course, hasn't been supportive of the Occupiers. Below, see a recent report during which he said, "There is no question the "Occupiers" are now on the lunatic fringe.":

The advertisement apparently appeared over the weekend on Fox seven times, although it also aired on ESPN, History International and the Outdoor Channel, among other networks. This first ad, which you can watch below, was directed by David Sauvage, who recently completed work for the Wall Street Journal:

Some may be wondering how monies were raised for the project. After all, getting an ad placed on network television isn't easy -- nor is it cheap. Apparently, a web site called Loudsauce allowed activists to raise the funds needed to bring the project to the small screen.

In addition to the above ad, there are apparently two others that have not yet aired. Sauvage, of course, is seeking more funds to bring these to television as well. Here's a screen shot of the fundraising page, where supporters are encouraged to give small gifts of under $100:

According to MarketWatch, Sauvage says that he became interested in helping the Occupy movement after he went down to see what the protesters were all about. Clearly, he was captivated and, thus, he decided that he wanted to "capture" their energy. In an e-mail to the outlet, he wrote:

“I went down there one evening and I was inspired.  I had the feeling that the protesters really did know what they wanted. And it was wonderful that they wanted different things.”

The director's choice to see the ad air in such controversial placements is intentional. "I want to put it in places where you don't expect. I'm a big believer with talking to the other side," Sauvage said. He has jokingly referred to the effort as "occupying Fox News."

Below, watch another ad that includes footage of an October 14 standoff between police and protestors. The Occupiers can be heard chanting their familiar line, "The whole world is watching," with some of them holding up peace signs:

And here's another, 15-second clip:

The Huffington Post reports, "Former White House adviser Van Jones and his new Rebuild the Dream group have been promoting [the first ad]." Considering Jones' ideals, this is no surprise.

It will be interesting to see if Sauvage and Jones hook up in the near future on other Occupy-related initiatives.

(H/T: Huffington Post)