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"If you are looking for a typical political commercial, switch the channel," advises Hillary Rodham Clinton at the start of her first ad (subscription) in North Carolina, a minute-long TV spot debuting in the Tar Heel State today.

But while the ad, which asks viewers to send questions at www.NCAskMe.com, is a departure from the media strategy Clinton's used in recent primaries, its direct appeal looks a lot like the campaign's early series of conversational Web videos, as well as Clinton's personal appeals to Granite State voters during the dark days following Barack Obama's Iowa win.

Still, the statewide ad represents a significant investment for the Clinton campaign, which in March reportedly raised just half the campaign funds brought in by Obama that month. The Obama campaign has been on the air in North Carolina for a week already, putting the pressure on Clinton to divert media dollars from her ongoing Pennsylvania ads to avoid ceding the airwaves to her rival.

The spot, which features Clinton speaking directly into the camera for the full 60 seconds, includes North Carolina references such as "military families from Fort Bragg" and "the crushing cost of health care from Winston-Salem to Fayetteville." Clinton stresses what she's learned from voters in the state -- namely, that "the middle class is just getting slammed" -- and reminds viewers that "this election isn't about me, it is about you."

National Journal/MSNBC's Carrie Dann reported that Clinton spokeswoman Carly Lindauer said future ads in the state will have "a different flavor each week."

"I wouldn't be surprised if we even saw [Clinton] in somebody's living room answering a question" in a later ad, Lindauer said. Dann also reported that, according to Lindauer, the interactive ads are not meant to make up for actual Clinton face time in the state, and she would be campaigning there "frequently" in the coming weeks.