We've talked a lot in the past about what makes for an effective book trailer, and with that in mind I wanted to show you this new one-minute ad for Dan Solin's The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read, which has all the slickness of a television commercial. (Although we're told there are no plans to buy time on any networks, we could easily see it on CNBC or Fox Business... or, for that matter, during weekend programming at the Hallmark Channel.)

This commercial particularly stands out when you compare it to the other videos Solin has released online this summer...

Here's one of the installments from Solin's "Smart Investor Makeover," a series of videos linked to his Huffington Post blog.

We wouldn't necessarily consider these videos failures: If you pay attention, Solin offers sensible advice, and he's friendly and accessible as a public speaker. Sure, the simplicity of the setup, which only offers two camera perspectives that barely deviate from each other, doesn't offer much in the way of excitement or memorability, but you could make a reasonable argument that, if your goal is to dispense investment advice, it's better to dial back on the razzmatazz. Still, what we wouldn't do to get Solin out from in front of that blue background—we don't need him to jump out of an airplane, exactly, but we'd love to see him doing something in a real environment.

What's your take?