What types of ads are your candidates running? Are they more positive or negative in tone, and how do they compare to ads in previous campaigns? Based on the categories outlined in the Tedesco & Dunn article “Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign” (posted on Blackboard), offer examples of at least three different types of ads from your Election Eve Project candidate and compare them to three similar historical ads that can be found on the website "The Living Room Candidate". Your candidate ads will count as your outside sources for this week.
There are a ton of different ads that a candidate can run while running for any sort of office. There are many different reason as to why a candidate will run ads during their campaign, the first one being stated in the reading by Tedesco & Dunn titled ‘Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign,” (Tedesco & Dunn 2022), and it states that “But, political advertising is about making small shifts in the margins, so even if effective at mobilizing a small percentage of voters, “reaching Americans in their homes across a variety of consumable media was the key to persuading leaning or undecided voters.” What this is saying is that even if they can sway an undecided voter to their side through advertising than they’ve done their job to gain as many votes as possible.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most popular ads that a campaign can use are the attack ads and the ads that are negative. In the Tedesco & Dunn titled ‘Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign,” it states the definition of a negative ad by stating that “negative or attack ads (those that attack an opposing candidate)” (Tedesco & Dunn 2022). An example of a negative ad is when “in August 2020 by proTrump Republicans aimed at stopping Joe Biden and the “radical left-wing.” (Tedesco & Dunn 2022). By calling Biden a member of the “radical left-wing,” it is slandering his name and shedding a negative light on his name. Campaigns love negative ads because “campaigns not only control the content of the ads but also provide the ability to target specific publics with the ads. For instance, campaigns and interest groups typically buy television advertising time from network affiliates, allowing them to target distribution of the ad geographically, whether they want to target a specific district in a House of Representatives race or a select group of swing states in a presidential race,” (Tedesco & Dunn 2022).
Campaigns love the control because they have because they can say anything they want. In a new tv ad, Oz attacked John Fetterman by stating that he had "some screws loose" while also attacking the record that he had when it came to releasing one third of prisoners while also “wanting to spend tax dollars,” which is represented as “"crazy" and "ridiculous” in an article titled Dr. Oz Releases Campaign Ad Showing Bong Emerging From Fetterman's Head,” written by Giulia Carbonaro.
Attack ads are the go-to style of the Oz campaign because in another attack video posted on NBC10 Philadelphia titled "What Does the End of the New Oz Ad Mean?” written by Lauren Mayk, by Oz states that “I’ll cut your taxes and I won’t take a penny of them either” (Mayk 2022). In that video, Oz spends 30 seconds taking shots at Fetterman as to why he never paid his taxes and why he was sued over 67 separate times which jumps to a clip of Fetterman saying that “it just fell through the cracks.” It seems like the only style of ads that the Oz campaign knows how to run are the attack ads that go after Fetterman, or is record, or his past.
The final attack ad that Oz ran at one point is the famous grocery shopping ad where he wanted to by vegetables for a crudite platter and naming all the high prices and tagging the end with a “thanks Joe Biden” in an attached video in an article titled “Mehmet Oz's senate campaign has become a waterfall of unforced errors” written by MSNBC columnist, Zeeshan Aleem. This comes around the same time that Oz fired at Fetterman to “get off the couch” (Aleem 2022). Oz has a very take no prisoners style to his ads which is similar to former President Donald Trump when he was running for office and who is ironically endorsing Oz while he runs for senate. It would seem to me that Oz is taking a play out of the Trump campaigns book and trying to play the mean offensive bad guy to their advantage.
Blog 7
ReplyDeleteAdvertising is probably the most important aspect of a campaign as it is the most effective way to reach people and share important information about yourself. This fact is demonstrated by the fact that campaigns spend millions of dollars on adverting. Political advertising can also be responsible for mobilizing voters to actually go out and vote.
For the 2022 midterms, Democrat John Fetterman has been producing a variety of ad types. The most recent ads are the slew of attack ads Fetterman has been producing regarding Oz. On his YouTube channel, Fetterman has a satirical video titled “Weekend Update” in which a news host lists a bunch concerning Oz, from being responsible for killing 300 puppies to giving a speech in front of Hitler’s car. While quite ridiculous in nature it does give people negative connotations when thinking of Oz. I find this ad similar to an ad paid for by Donald Trump called “The Joe Biden They Are Hiding From You” which also depicts his opponent in a negative light. While Trump’s ad has more weight behind it and isn’t just “he doesn’t live in Pennsylvania and kills puppies”, they both have the same desired effect where the audience will think about this ad when the attacked candidate is mentioned.
Aside from attacking ads, John Fetterman’s ads use personal testimonials to help spread recognition and praise. Fetterman’s Instagram has a good amount of these ads where everyday citizens give testimonials as to why they are supporting and or voting for Fetterman. A video from October 12th, 2022 shows Republican, Bradley Stein, explaining why he was supporting Fetterman. The reason is the Republican party suing to throw out his son’s ballot from the 2020 election. President Joe Biden also used personal testimonials during his 2020 campaign to what seems to be a moderate success (Tedesco et al.), which is probably why Fetterman is utilizing the same strategy. However, this strategy has been used for a long time. In the 2004 race, John Kerry showed an ad where a distraught mother talked about how the war that Bush spearheaded led to the death of her son. She then tells how later she found out that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. While both ads are different in tone, they use stories from real Americans and influence the image of the candidate that regular ads might not be able to.
One more ad that both Fetterman and previous campaigns have used is focusing on the American job market and the working class. This has been a huge topic since the beginning of political advertising. Bill Clinton’s 1996 ad campaign does a good example of this where he lists all of his achievements and explains why Bob Dole is a threat to economic security. Fetterman’s ads are a little different. Instead of listing his achievements and proclaiming his opponent’s faults, he is shown on the ground supporting workers on strike. It also shows him speaking about supporting unions and suggesting expanding workers’ rights. John’s advertising makes him look like someone who is proactive and comfortable talking with regular Americans face-to-face.
When it comes to presidential campaign ads there are three different types, positive ads, negative ads, and attack ads. All of these types of ads are made to do one thing, make it easier to vote for you and make it harder to vote for your opponent. The money spent on these ads are tremendous and take up a high percentage of a campaign’s budget.
ReplyDeleteThe Fetterman campaign is no exception to this. The ad made to launch his campaign is more positive than the other ones in his catalog. It starts somewhat negatively as he talks about communities that feel left behind, but as it goes on it talks about his record as the mayor of Braddock, He talks about how he brought Braddock back from the brink of ruin with more jobs and lowered homicide rates. The ad then concludes by Fetterman saying “I’m going to fight, not for one part of Pennsylvania, not for one party of Pennsylvania, but for one Pennsylvania. Just like I did as mayor” (Fetterman campaign). It’s clear that this ad is meant to get people excited and show the voters that Fetterman is a guy that gets things done. Ironically, this ad is similar to one of Donald Trump’s ads in 2016. This ad talks about how American jobs were being sent overseas and workers were being left behind, infrastructure is crumbling, and inner cities have been crippled. However, this can be changed if you elect Donald Trump and America will be great again. While this similarity is most likely unintentional, Fetterman’s ad does highlight that he can speak to registered democrats that voted for Trump. So, it's clear that Fetterman is at least somewhat aware that his platform has a chance to appeal to the Trump base.
One of Fetterman’s more negative ads is about the economy. He blames Washington for its current state and goes hard after the rich. He says “The rich, the powerful, the insiders, and the lobbyists are lying about me to take the heat off of themselves” (Fetterman campaign). However, this can be fixed if we make more stuff in America. It has the implication that Fetterman will stand up to the people that wrecked the economy, and not electing him is letting these bad actors go unpunished. It felt similar to an ad Al Gore made in 2000 about Bush’s financial plan. It talks about how the rich benefit the most from the tax cuts and the middle class get very little from these tax cuts. Both go after the rich, but Fetterman specifically goes after congress people that have helped the rich and hurt the working class.
Most of Fetterman’s ads have been attack ads against Dr. Oz. One thing that Fetterman has hammered over and over is that Oz is from New Jersey so he knows nothing about Pennsylvania. This was shown when Fetterman accused Oz of filming a campaign video in New Jersey, he said "Pro tip: Don't film an ad for your Pennsylvania Senate campaign from your mansion in New Jersey" (Davis, paragraph 5). While a lot of his attack ads kinda blend together, one was made as a tongue and cheek fake ad for Oz’s campaign. Saying things America needs strong leaders and then juxtaposed to ridiculous scenes from Dr. Oz’s TV show. The video ends by saying “Paid for by Americans who thought this was a joke, but … I guess Dr. Oz really is running for senate … what the f*ck” (Fetterman campaign). This ad is very similar to an ad the Joe Biden made in 2020, the ad highlights Donald Trump saying, “it is what it is” and then juxtaposing it with people dying from covid, and hospitals trying to deal with the virus. While Fetterman’s is much more comedic, the use of juxtaposing images is an effective strategy in showing the flaws of your opponent.
When you look at the advertisements that the Herschel Walker campaign has been running, it is actually quite simple to sort them all into three distinct categories. The first category is what I will call “offense.” These advertisements are where Walker attempts to attack Raphael Warnock’s character and the way he portrays himself in his own advertisements. Last month, the Walker campaign ran an advertisement called “What Else is Warnock Hiding?” where a narrator talks about how one of Warnock’s summer camps has been sued for child abuse and neglect, something Warnock would never admit to publicly. These types of advertisements are extremely common. Hillary Clinton ran them all the time during the 2016 election to go against Donald Trump. One that is similar to “What Else is Warnock Hiding?” is an advertisement where Clinton’s team composed different clips of television interviews where political experts say they wouldn’t trust Donald Trump with the nuclear launch codes. Walker’s advertisements against Warnock are similar, just on a much smaller scale.
ReplyDeleteThe second type of advertisement is what I call “defense.” These are where Walker puts out a statement to defend himself from any allegations Warnock may have made that week. On Oct. 5, Walker ran an advertisement called “Grace” where he calls out all of the dishonest claims Warnock has made. Being completely honest, I am writing this section of the blog at 12:01 a.m. the morning of Oct. 16. While I may be tired, I watched this advertisement four times and I still don’t know a single thing Walker is trying to say, and I don’t think my comprehension would improve tomorrow morning. It’s just Walker reading a script, and he somehow changes the subject five times in 30 seconds. Sans the subject changes, this advertisement is similar to one that Al Gore ran during the 2000 election, where he spoke about the environment for 30 seconds, all without the camera straying from his face and his voice. This one may not have been in defense of himself, but they were composed very similarly to each other.
The third type of advertisement that Walker runs is what I call “running the ball on first down.” These are the advertisements he seems to run for no real reason and is probably just to try and get ahead of his opponent at any given moment. I never really see a message in these advertisements, and if there is a message, it’s usually attempting to show the public how Walker can unite them.
My absolute favorite advertisement from Walker falls into this category, and it’s called “BOOM.” This little diddy comes from a rally Walker held, where he discusses how he is going to fight for Georgia, how he’s sick and tired of all the problems he has seen, and how much he loves to win. What makes it amazing in my eyes is how his marketing team put a drill beat over the visuals, and intercut one small clip of him playing in the NFL. This advertisement ends with Walker saying, “BOOM! That’s it baby!” and then walking off the stage.
An advertisement that “BOOM” reminds me of is one that Joe Biden ran during the 2020 election. This advertisement contained various images of Donald Trump and police violence, all with “Pero Ya No” by Bad Bunny playing in the background. This advertisement was meant to make you think it was for Trump, and then it hit you with the Biden for President at the end. The Walker advertisement reminded me of this because it seems like something Walker would run for himself without one bit of irony behind the messaging.
One type of advertisement that I think Walker would benefit from is that of the personal testimonial. If people like Joe Biden could benefit from endorsements from Chris Paul or Michelle Obama (Tedesco and Dunn), then I can only imagine how a personal endorsement advertisement from Donald Trump could help the Walker campaign. This should be something that Walker has planned heading into the week before the election. An advertisement including Trump in any way, shape, or form would probably do better at mobilizing voters than anything Walker himself could produce.
DeleteDenton, Robert E., et al. “Political Advertising in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.” The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communications Perspective, Rowman & Littlefield, an Imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., Lanham, MD, 2021, pp. 57–76.
Val Demings is running television ads that, similar to President Biden’s 2020 ad strategy, blur the line between issues and image and the distinction between negative and positive (Tedesco and Dunn, 2020, pp. 65.) Tedesco and Dunn (2020) identify three ways that the Biden campaign made its ads effective: appearing as a benevolent leader, through indirect attacks and by using personal testimonies (pp. 63-7.) The Demings campaign team is attempting to capture some of the same sentiments that got Biden elected by using the same strategies.
ReplyDeleteIn a Demings ad from July 2021 titled “Fourth of July,” Demings speaks about the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic has done and the lives lost by the virus. In this ad, the congresswoman appears to be a benevolent leader who can help Florida recover from the pandemic. This part of the ad is positive, but it takes on a negative connotation when she says that some politicians (like opponent Marco Rubio) have failed to “put country first above party and politics.” The ad ends on a positive note, however, by showing familiar American symbols like flags and small businesses. This presents Demings as the candidate of change rather than the status quo (Demings, July 2021.) This ad is very similar to the Biden 2020 ad “It is what it is.” The ad shows Trump failing to support Americans who are dying from COVID-19, just as Demings presented Rubio failing Floridians. However, Biden’s ad was purely negative in this case, and though it doesn’t mention Trump by name, shows video of him brushing off COVID-19 coupled with images of people suffering (Commercials–2020–"It Is What It Is", 2020.)
As Tedesco and Dunn (2021) assert, personal testimonials by everyday people are particularly important so that campaigns can appeal to regular, middle class Americans (pp. 67.) The Demings campaign put out an ad in December 2021 titled “Life Lessons with Ms. Betty” in which Demings has a conversation with her former mentor from when she was a social worker. In this ad, Demings shows her history of compassion and helping people of poor communities. It is a positive ad and does not mention Rubio, though it is meant to be an indirect attack at Rubio and his policies, similar to Biden’s strategy versus Trump. (Demings, December 2021.) This ad reminded me of the Hillary Clinton 2016 ad that features Robert Kearney, a U.S. army veteran who says that he’s voting for Clinton to set an example for his daughters. Similar to the Ms. Betty ad, this ad focuses on compassion, family and American values and contrasts these values to the negativity of the candidate’s opponent. (Commercials–2016–America Soaring, 2016.)
Appearing as a benevolent leader is important for Democratic candidates in a post-Trump world. Candidates like Biden and Demings have used the traits of “compassion empathy, integrity, activity, strength, and knowledge” (Tedesco and Dunn, 2020, pp. 63) in ads to represent change and the fight against far-right extremism. For example, Biden’s 2020 ad, “Crossroads” tells Americans that they are at a crossroads due to COVID-19 and racial injustice, and they must choose the candidate who stands for working families, affordable healthcare and unity (Commercials–2020–Crossroads, 2020.) In the Demings campaign, ads like “Never Tire” echo this statement. The June 2021 ad appeals to regular, working Americans by telling Deming’s story growing up as a poor black girl in the South. It’s a positive ad that encourages change rather than the “same old tired ways.” In addition, the ad shows Demings’ police record and experience in public service, further enforcing her image as the benevolent leader (Demings, June 2021.)
Each election cycle, political advertising plays a central role in the conversation. Candidates invest millions of dollars into television and radio ads, social media promotion, and design materials that get mailed out to voters. The 2020 U.S election cycle broke records, reaching $8.5 million across all platforms (Tedesco et al. 58). The public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the public to stay at home and made traditional campaign tactics like face-to face events and door knocking impossible.
ReplyDeleteNow we are at the end of 2022 and the pandemic is mostly behind us, but investments into political messaging have not slowed. As the chapter outlines, voters in Pennsylvania are being inundated with advertisements, because “Consequently, voters in states and districts with competitive elections often cannot escape political ads, whether they encounter them on television, social media, search engine results, advertising-supported streaming services like Hulu and Pandora, or online video games" (Tedesco et al. 60). The PA race is important, because there is no incumbency at play in the massive and politically mixed state. Mehmet Oz is running a mix of positive and negative ads. In comparison to his opponent, he refrains from attack adds, which may have been a contributing factor for Oz trailing in polls. There are no previous campaigns to compare to, as this is Oz’s first attempt at the political realm. His hallmark campaign advertisement is a video pinned at the top of his YouTube channel. The scene is set like a talk show interview or therapist’s office, sterile but inviting (Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate). The tone of the ad is positive. He does not mention Fetterman once. Mirroring Obama’s 2008 hallmark election advertisement, he opens by talking about the way he was raised and his parents, then trudging into the rest of his life story as a college graduate, physician, father, and talk show host (Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate). The former Democratic president similarly discussed how he was raised in Chicago, became a lawyer, and went onto a political career (making sure to mention his wife when he could) (The living room candidate). This type of advertisement is always a good baseline, as it can appeal to any party and places the focus of the message on uplifting the candidate. Through further exploration, Oz has a habit of shifting his messaging to appeal to different voter blocs. In an ad titled “Dr. Mehmet Oz – Our Constitutional Rights”, the former surgeon is seen cleaning, loading, and shooting a rifle while adorned in plaid and rock music plays in the background (Dr. Mehmet Oz - Our Constitutional Rights). A clear appeal to MAGA republicans, Oz also throws into the message the names of major party leaders that have endorsed him. This reminded me of a Nixon 1968 ad about the Vietnam war, which shows images of war playing to the sound of eerie music (The living room candidate). Although over 50 years apart, both candidates make promises to the American people- to “restore order” and “protect 2nd amendment rights”. Trump used this same tactic in his message “American Comeback”. Showing images of American people coming out of the pandemic, and shouting out job growth and economic change, Donald Trump makes a promise to America- “We’ll never give up on America. Not now, not ever. Because now is a time to renew our faith, restore our safety, rebuild our economy to keep winning. We faced our toughest challenge, and we are overcoming it just like we always do. Because we believe in America” (Todesco et al. 70). Although few and far between, Oz has made his own attempts at matching his challenger. In a comparative ad from his Twitter page, Oz makes the claim that “John Fetterman supports decriminalizing dangerous drugs like fentanyl and heroine” (@DrOz). As the formula for this type of ad follows, the spotlight shifts to Oz who says “I worked in addiction for years” accompanied by b-roll of the candidate sitting with, talking, and hugging what appear to be addicts on the street. It’s sort of bizarre, but it’s effective in making bold sweeping statements and demonstrating that Oz is the better choice.
DeleteBella Baird
ReplyDeleteThe “Never Tire '' campaign video is Val Demings’s main focus in her campaign. These advertisements focus on Demings’s 27 years in law enforcement and how she was able to lower the crime rate in Orlando by 40%. She was raised in a home that was similar to the American Dream. Every ad that is made by Val Demings starts with a positive note about how she was in law enforcement with great pictures and images. The video then transitions into a section that brings up how Rubio does not show up to work with a more negative tone.
The main advertisements that air for Val Demings are either about her large background in law enforcement or about Marco Rubio’s attendance record. Similar to the way Trump attacked Biden in 2020, “Trump’s most blatant attacks accuse Biden and his son Hunter of lies and cor- ruption” (Dunn, Tedesco). Trump titled these advertisements with bold letters saying, ‘Biden Lied.’ Demings has implicated many times in her advertisements that Rubio does not show up to work and how he should lose his job. These attack method advertisements are shown to persuade his followers that he is not fit to lead Florida. Three ads that I took a look at on “The Living Room Candidate” were Obama’s take. He was listing problems in the economy and laws he wanted to pass to fix them such as education. His attack on Romney was lighter than how Demings harshly attacks Rubio every time she speaks. The Obama campaign showed clips of Romney in a bad light and allowed people off the streets to say their opinion. Obama did a great job of making these advertisements about the country and not about himself.
Dunn, Scott. Tedesco, John. “Chapter 4.” Political Advertising in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.
DeleteThe Living Room Candidate - Commercials - 2012 - Always, http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2012.
“Val Demings' Ad Criticizes Rubio's Attendance Record.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Aug. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJgVG9NJsPY.
“Never Tire | Val Demings for U.S. Senate.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=421g_3k3sMc.
“Val Demings Ad Focuses on Her Law Enforcement Background.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 July 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk4IHKuy5F8.
Palek Singh
ReplyDeleteAccording to chapter 4 of The 2020 Presidential Election: A Communication Perspective, “scholars have identified multiple categorical schemes for classifying political ads. One popular distinction is between positive ads (those that extolled the virtues of the candidate) and negative/attack ads (those that attack an opposing candidate). In addition to those two types, there are also the comparative or contrast ads, “which combine elements of positive and negative, as well as response ads that reply to an opponent’s attack”(Tedesco & Dunn 2022). An example of a negative/attack ad by Oz is provided by Newsweek. In this edited ad, Oz is mocking Fetterman by asserting with imagery and memes that he has “some screws loose” for wanting to release ⅓ of all prisoners and for proposing to spend more tax dollars because everything will cost more. This whole ad was taken as a joke by many people, and Oz’s campaign received a lot of criticism and backlash over it because it wasn’t a real ad. All Oz was doing was talking over subjective ‘funny’ cartoon memes. I think this ad is most similar to Eisenhower’s ad in 1952 because that ad also used cartoon imagery to get the point across. However, Eisenhower’s ad wasn’t really a negative/attack ad, it was just persuading people to vote for him in a fun and lighthearted way (The Living Room Candidate). I think a lot of advertisements in the past weren’t as controversial or negative as they are today. Though I’m not saying that an attack cannot be made in an ad, it just needs to have a profound effect on the viewer which Oz’s ad did not. Oz should make attack ads like how the Biden administration did in 2020. Biden attacked Trump by using his own words against him, in an interview Trump said thousands of Americans are dying everyday and that “it is what it is.” It was just those words echoing over images of people suffering from covid, and I believe those five words and images spoke a lot of volume and probably convinced many people to reconsider if they were planning on voting for Trump (The Living Room Candidate). In my opinion, those types of negative/attack ads are the most effective in getting votes.
In another ad by the Oz campaign that came out this month, Oz talks about crime being a big issue in PA and that he is serious about fixing it (DoctorOz-Youtube). I think this is more of a positive ad because he’s talking about an issue that is important to him without attacking Fetterman for once. This ad resembles the ad by the Trump administration for his 2016 campaign. Trump depicted his passion for rebuilding America by creating more jobs just like Oz showed his passion for eradicating crime in his ad(The Living Room Candidate). Lastly, another ad by the Oz campaign again attacks Fetterman. In the ad, Oz says the reason why Fetterman refuses to debate with him is because he can’t defend freeing convicted murderers. He also attacks Fetterman for not paying his taxes and calls him a “fraud” (DoctorOz-Youtube). I think a lot of ads by Oz tend to be negative/attacks. As I stated before, these ads differ from previous campaigns because many campaigns now focus on attacking their opponent, while in the past, the focus was to try and appeal to voters.
Work Cited:
1. Tedesco, John C. and Scott Dunn. “Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
2. “The Living Room Candidate.” The Living Room Candidate, http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/.
3. Carbonaro, Giulia. “Dr. Oz Releases Campaign Ad Showing Bong Emerging from Fetterman's Head.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.newsweek.com/dr-oz-campaign-ad-bong-fetterman-head-1733563.
4. “Debates.” YouTube, 27 Sept. 2022, https://youtu.be/xpUOAPkw24s.
5. “Endorsed.” YouTube, 5 Oct. 2022, https://youtu.be/xd3408C-5pA.
Caitlyn Piascik Blog 7
ReplyDeleteAccording to Tedesdco and Dunn, “Scholars have identified multiple categorical schemes for classifying political ads. One popular distinction is between positive ads and negative or attack ads. In addition to these two types, scholars have recognized the importance of comparative or contrast ads, which combine elements of the positive and negative, as well as reply to an opponent’s attack” (Tedesco & Dunn). Raphael Warnock typically runs more positive toned ads that align with his more passive and respectful Reverend identity. One of the ads I chose to analyze is Warnock’s “For Georgia” video providing support for the people of Georgia in the wake of COVID-19, and explaining the various virtues he plans to act on the concerns of the people. It advertises his beliefs in order to gain exposure and potential votes. I will be comparing this to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 advertisement “Tomorrow” – where Hillary calls on the American people to elect a leader who cares about the state of the country and has optimism for the future. This was one of the few positive ads of the 2016 election and it mirrors the emotional tone of the Warnock ad by calling on voters to choose them for their passion and their care for the American people.
The second ad I chose was Warnock’s “Never Lose Hope” video that he casts on his YouTube channel and across various social media platforms. This is either an attack ad or a response to one of his opponents’ ads. He states that if the senate race was a race on a football field, then his opponent would have him beat; however, he clarifies that this is a Senate race for the people of Georgia with real outcomes for real people. He then goes on to explain his goals for his upcoming term in support of the people of Georgia. This ad compares to Hillary Clinton’s “Barbershop” advertisement where she asks real people their opinions on a businessman running for office. The ad hinted at the fact that the American people want an experienced politician, not a business capitalist or a football player in Herschel Walker’s case. Both ads capitalize on the benefits of voting for the candidates while slightly hinting that their opponent is not qualified or the correct person for the position.
The final ad that I will looking to is Raphael Warnock’s “Probably Shouldn’t” attack ad that displays Herschel Walker’s past spread of misinformation in regard to snake oil body spray as a COVID-19 cure. All he displayed was an interview that Walker did talking about his opinion of the pandemic, Warnock finishes the ad by asking if Walker is really ready to represent Georgia. It is limited in its negativity but the point is still made that Warnock believes that Walker is not the type of candidate the people of Georgia want to elect. This compares to Hillary Clinton’s “Who We Are” advertisement that capitalizes on the character faults of Donald Trump in various public instances. She challenges the American people to consider that he is not a candidate that represents who the American people are as a whole, and should not be elected to represent them. Clinton is a bit starker about her negativity towards Donald Trump, however, this is one of her more limited targeted advertisements.
Bluestein, Greg. "Warnock to Georgians in debut 2022 ad: 'I see you, I hear you, I am you..'" The
DeleteAtlanta Journal-Constitution, 8 Feb. 2022, www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/ warnock-to-georgians-in-debut-2022-ad-i-see-you-i-hear-you-i-am-you/T6W6EXO7HNGEVMOK4HP5O3PGEY/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.
"Never Lose Hope - Warnock for Georgia." YouTube, uploaded by Raphael Warnock, 24 May
2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrKR1LSxE3o. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.
"Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2020." The Living Room Candidate, Museum of the
Moving Image, www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2016#. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.
Tedesco, John C. and Scott Dunn. “Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” In
The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
"Warnock Knows." YouTube, uploaded by Raphael Warnock, 8 June 2022, www.youtube.com/
watch?v=nqEb2w-fhio. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.
Charlie Windels Part 1
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about political advertising in the 2020 presidential elections it was apparent to me how important advertising is. At the very beginning of the reading, it talks about “The number of advertisements aired, the pervasiveness of advertising in competitive races, and the record amount of advertising expenditures sug- gest that advertising continues to play a central role in campaigns”(Tedesco, Dunn). I also learned about the importance and effect advertising has on undecided voters. Over the past few years with the pandemic and other massive issues we have seen a major shift toward digital ads across various platforms. The first Marco Rubio ad I read about in the readings talks about how Rubio was successful in conveying his achievements. The reading talks about how the ad does a great job of highlighting key issues to a “broad appeal.” The article quotes “It notably kicks off with a story that largely received interest only from Florida media, showing footage of the Senator at a Westside Jacksonville apartment complex. He held a press conference last year at Valencia Way Apartments to show improvements after working with the Housing and Urban Development Department to rehabilitate the once-dilapidated community” (Ogles). After reading about this ad and how it benefited Rubio’s campaign I chose to look at Trump's 2016 ad which had many similarities. Both of these ads were very focused on a specific issue and what that issue would or does look like based on the work of the campaign. I think this approach is one of the better approaches as it highlights growth as well as moving towards a better country rather than just solely criticizing and making the other candidate look like a villain.
Charlie Windels Part 2
ReplyDeleteDespite this I feel that this radical villain approach to ads can also be effective to an extent, however, they are much riskier. After visiting Marco Rubio’s youtube I found two ads criticizing and making Val Demming look like a candidate who is going to destroy core American values. In the ad it quotes “Val Demmings she is not just liberal, she is dangerously radical.” Overall I think this approach can be extremely effective for voters, especially those who are unsure who to vote for. However, I do think that when laying out these ads the campaign team has to be very careful about what issues they mention. This ad in particular mentions many controversial topics such as immigration and abortion rights. I think this can be a risky approach, but could also be one that helps Rubio steal some undecided votes. The last Rubio ad I looked at was very similar to the first talking about the radical left and how they are going to destroy America in a variety of different ways. Ultimately both of these ads on Rubio’s youtube are used as ways to make voters fear what would happen if he were not to get elected. They also portray Val Demmings as a threat to Americans or more specifically Floridians. Finally, I looked at some ads on The Living Room Candidate that were similar. The main ad that stood out to me was Biden’s ad depicting Trump in the 2020 election. Overall the ad uses a Donald Trump quote in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic to depict him as careless and emotionless toward American deaths. Wrapping up I think advertising can be a useful way for campaigns to grab the attention of the public and make them think about and question who they might end up voting for based on issues or things they value.
Works Cited
Rubio, Marco. “Marco Rubio AD: Radical Left.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Sept. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6levbAlvlf8.
Rubio, Marco. “Marco Rubio AD: Most Liberal.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Sept. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkZJ2vb_F2M.
Commercials–2020–Crossroads". (2020). The Living Room Candidate. Museum of the Moving Image. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2020/filter/party
Tedesco, John C. and Scott Dunn. “Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Positive Marco Rubio Ad Spotlights Ways Incumbent ‘Gets Stuff Done’
Jacob Ogles Florida Politics August 25, 2022
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/551647-positive-marco-rubio-ad-spotlights-ways-incumbent-gets-stuff-done/
The most prominent advertisements that Val Demings is running are video ads on television and YouTube. They are more positive towards her but very negative against Marco Rubio. Her campaign strategy focuses a lot on talking down about Rubio. Recently, she launched the first TV ad about abortion in Florida. This specific ad first appeared on NBC News but was a statewide TV buy. In this ad, she mentions Rubio’s views on abortion and uses that to attack him. She says in the ad, “Marco Rubio wants to criminalize abortions with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Well, I know something about fighting crime, Sen. Rubio. Rape is a crime. Incest is a crime. Abortion is not.” (Demings, 2022). She also has been using Florida as a battleground state to her advantage in her other TV ads. In one of them, she tells the public that she does not support defunding the police as some in Florida may think due to the Democratic rhetoric. She says in this ad, “I stood up to those in my party who wanted to defund the police.” (Demings, 2022). She is really trying to get her views out there to get not only the democratic voters of Florida but Republicans as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing some comparisons between Hillary Clinton’s and Demings’ advertisement campaigns, there are some major differences. For example, Clinton's YouTube advertisement titled “Join Women for Hillary,” talks about fighting for womens’ rights by showing inspiring videos and talking about the future of America for our daughters. It was very sentimental and seemed as if it was meant to inspire. Comparing that to how Demings discusses women, it is a much more serious topic. In Demings’ TV ad about abortion rights, she is very stern about how she has dealt with sexual assault charges as chief of police and how that is a crime but aboriton is not. It does not seem as airy and light as Clinton’s.
Advertisements for campaigns happen on many different platforms. In the book, The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, the authors writes, “Consequently, voters in states and districts with competitive elections often cannot escape political ads, whether they encounter them on television, social media, search engine results, advertising-supported streaming services like Hulu and Pandora, or online video games.” (Tedesco, Dunn, 60). Demings’ ads have been mostly on TV and YouTube ads, one of them confronting the misconceptions the right has been saying about her wanting to defund the police. Obama once did the same in his TV ad. People were taking what he said about small business out of context and he cleared his name on TV.
Another thing that Demings has in her ads is clips of her being a “benevolent leader”. The book states, “The ads often associated the former vice president explicitly with many of the elements of the benevolent leader framing identified by Joslyn: compassion, empathy, integrity, activity, strength, and knowledge.” (Tedesco, Dunn, 63). She shows this by showing clips of her being a police officer and talking about fighting crime. John Kerry also tried to show himself as a “benevolent leader” by putting clips of him helping students, speaking to civilians, and telling his public that America will be stronger.
Demings’ primary campaign strategy in all of her ads is the direct attack of Rubio. The book talks about how both the Biden and the Trump campaigns tried to install fear of the public voting for the other. Demings always mentions that Rubio does not show up. In one of her ads she says, “Marco Rubio is one of the worst at showing up.” (Demings, 2022). In Hillary Clinton’s TV ads, she also did this by asking America if they wanted their country to be like “this” and then showed them videos of Trump. It makes the candidate making the ad look better overall.
References:
Delete"Chief Val Demings | A Crime". Youtube.Com, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBHoxrfONfo.
"Chief Val Demings | Protect And Serve". Youtube.Com, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SofFXAdM_MM.
"Get The Facts: Demings Ad Attacks Rubio's Voting Record, Attendance". Youtube.Com, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFl2yXxGxn0.
"Independent - Val Demings For US Senate". Youtube.Com, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzVY7YVjjiA.
"Join Women For Hillary | Hillary Clinton". Youtube.Com, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5w50DSCI5s&list=PLt9jO9QkAAocHqyifNQaGPR-9jipern-b&index=40.
"The Living Room Candidate". Livingroomcandidate.Org, 2022, http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/.
Tedesco, John C. and Scott Dunn. “Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Jennifer Moglia
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Tedesco & Dunn article, there are three main types of political advertisements: positive, negative, and compare/contrast. Positive ads focus on the advantages of voting for a particular candidate, highlighting what voters would gain if they voted for this candidate. Negative ads are the opposite, highlighting what voters would suffer from if the opposing candidate won. These are often called attack ads. Compare/contrast ads are a mixture of both of the main types, usually starting with an attack on the opposing candidate and showing why the supported candidate would be a better choice - for example, claiming that the challenger is corrupt and doesn’t belong in office before stating that the incumbent is professional and has the experience necessary to be a proper fit for the position. Throughout Herschel Walker’s senate campaign, he has definitely run both positive and negative ads. I don’t think he has any explicit compare/contrast ones, but he does have a category not represented in these three categories. Walker’s campaign runs some ads that don’t say anything about his beliefs or campaign but try to get viewers excited to vote for him by appealing to their emotions and their desire for community. For this blog, I’ll be calling them “hype ads.”
An example of a positive ad for Walker is one called “Make Things Happen.” He explains that he wants to fight for every county in Georgia and has been working to visit all of them. He also states that he is not a typical politician, opting to call himself a “country boy” instead. Towards the end of the ad is where Walker gets into his beliefs, like supporting the military and standing up for law enforcement. This is close to being a straight-up hype ad, but he does mention his beliefs, which gives it a bit of substance. This one is definitely a positive ad because it shows Walker in a very favorable light. I would compare “Make Things Happen” to “United,” one of former President Donald Trump’s ads from his 2016 campaign. Similar terminology is used, with Trump being called “not part of the system” to push the “not a politician” narrative. His beliefs are mentioned about the same amount as Walker’s in “Make Things Happen,” with lowering taxes and supporting law enforcement being brought up. Again, his stances are mentioned just enough to make it not a hype ad, and it’s certainly showing Trump in a positive light.
A negative/attack ad from Walker’s campaign is titled “Swipe.” It starts out by hashing out scary-sounding crime statistics from within Georgia, with the narrator suggesting that the democrats’ solution to this is to defund the police. Walker is then shown on screen to remind everyone that his opponent, Raphael Warnock, thinks police officers are thugs and wants to end their funding, (in his opinion) putting criminals back on the street. This is a pretty straightforward attack ad, saying negative things about both Warnock and his party. This could be compared to “Predators,” an attack ad run on Hillary Clinton by Trump’s team in 2016. Sound bites of Clinton speaking are played to show viewers what her opinions on certain issues are, reassuring them that Trump does not hold those same disgusting opinions. These are pretty much identical, shaming the opponent and the democrats and making the republican candidate and their party look better.
Herschel Walker’s campaign ads are very interesting to say the least. Most of his advertisements are simply attack ads on Warnock. Walker very rarely even includes his own ideals and opinions in his ads, instead taking the approach to make his other candidate look bad. One thing Walker likes to do in his ads is stand in front of a camera and talk to the viewer. These are the most positive Walker ads, even though they still slander Warnock. His tone is very passive aggressive and while he is disputing Warnock’s claim or calling him a liar, he is doing it in his thick, homegrown Georgia accent. One example of these ads is called “Grace,” where Walker just stands in front of a camera and talks to the audience. The first ten seconds are calling out Warnock, the next ten are about his battle with mental health and the last ten he goes back to calling out Warnock for being a liar. It’s a bit all over the place, but it is literally the most positive Walker ad I could find. That style of advertisement was most recently used by Barack Obama in 2012 in an ad called “Always,” where he starts off the ad sitting in front of the camera and talking. Two very different politicians, using the same style of ad.
ReplyDeleteThe negative type of ads are the most common among the Walker campaign. The best example of a negative ad in the Walker campaign is an ad called “What Else is Warnock Hiding?” In this ad, Warnock is being called a liar and paints Walker in a negative light, even referencing some controversies involving his camp. These type of ads are most similar to Trump’s 2020 campaign, which heavily made fun of Biden, calling him stupid and attacking Biden’s tax plan. Both ads don’t feature Walker/Trump, only a voice actor talking over pictures and videos of the opposing candidate with text on the screen that contains negative things. The similarities between the Trump and Walker ads are evident and expected. Walker’s best shot of coming close in the Senate vote is to secure the vote from Trump supporters and republicans, making the similarities in ads not shocking at all and honestly expected.
The last type of ad that Walker uses is debate highlights, rather than compare and contrast. My favorite one is “BOOM,” because it is basically a hype mixtape you find on a high school football star’s Instagram page, but the one I chose to focus on is “Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate.” The ad is basically a highlight reel of Warnock messing up or not answering questions during their debate, except it looks really grainy. To be honest it looks like it was edited by David Fincher in 2005. I found an ad like it while looking at Mitt Romney ads. One of them is titled “Apology Tour,” in which Romney calls out Obama, not only in the ad, but to his face in a conversation. It reminded me of the Walker one because not many campaigns contain the contenders talking to each other, or in the same room as each other in the advertisement.
Cj Benedetti
ReplyDeleteAs I had mentioned before, I was hoping to see a more clean campaign when looking in Florida. Unfortunately, Senator Marco Rubio switched gears and switched them fast to a more “mudslinging campaign.” I would say that Marco Rubio's ads now are more on the negative side. Senator Rubio thankfully uploaded all of his campaign ads to his Youtube Channel, which made looking at this easy, but out of his first 12 Ad videos, 7 of them are ad’s that attack Val Demings.
One of these ads is called “America Has Failed”, which falls into “Direct Attack,” as mentioned by Tedesco & Dunn in “The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communications Perspective”. In this Ad it breaks down the fact that Val Demings once said that “America Has Failed.” It opens by saying that Val Demings has voted with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time she's been in congress. It then moves to her stance on the Police Force, saying she has praised defunding the police, then to a clip of her saying that she found “Violent Riots” a “Beautiful Sight.” It then goes onto the border crisis and shows a clip of her saying that it is “nothing new.” Finally, ending by calling her a “Blame America First Radical Rubberstamp.” Much like Bidens attack ads towards Trump in which it “used pointed but often indirect attacks to show that Biden would be the kind of benevolent leader that Trump was not, while outside groups delivered more pointed attacks.” (Tedesco & Dunn). I will note that this is NOT an outside group, but Rubio's campaign itself made these pointed attacks at Demings, though the theme of the commercial of directly attacking a candidate and showing they are not good leadership remains the same.
Next, Rubio uses Personal Testimonies, much like Biden did during his campaign. One of Rubio’s ads, "Diego’s,” uses this strategy to a tee. The Ad opens in a bar and shows many of the workers. One bartender, Lauren, starts talking about how the pandemic was very scary thing. It then goes to Celly, a single mother who didn't know how she was going to make ends meet. We meet more bartenders talking about the same thing when the ad then goes into talking about Senator Rubios paycheck protection program bill. The ad then culminates in many of them saying things along the line of “I don't know what I would have done without Marco Rubio.” One directly says, “If it weren't for Senator Rubio, I might not even have a job.”
Finally, I feel one of Marco Rubio's ads lands in Biden’s Strategy of a “Benevolent Leader”. The Benevolent leader idea is one that “associated the former vice president explicitly with many of the elements of the benevolent leader framing identified by Joslyn: compassion, empathy, integrity, activity, strength, and knowledge.” during Biden’s Campaign. Rubio’s ad “Marco Rubio Took Action on Florida Sober Homes”. This ad hits almost all of the qualities listed above. He has compassion and empathy because “we used to have sober homes taking advantage of people addicted to opioids.” It then shows his activity by talking about the bill he sponsored and was able to get passed. It shows his strength when he says, “You know why it's gone? I came here, saw it, got a bill passed.” The one quality of knowledge I feel falls into each of those examples as he is knowledgeable on the issue, and has the knowledge to get the bills past fast.
These Ads from Rubio share the same theme as many other older political ads such as Hilliary Clinton’s “Barbershop,” which is a testimonial style ad that takes us through a Barbershop with Black voters all saying they will be voting for Clinton and some explaining why. (“Barbershop”)
William Dean
ReplyDeleteMarco Rubio’s latest ad is a mark of where the center of the Republican Party is. As mentioned throughout previous blogs, Rubio is among the more mainstream Republicans and can be seen as a bellwether of what the party considers generally acceptable. He begins by saying “the radical left will destroy America if we don’t stop them. They indoctrinate, try to turn boys into girls” overlaid with footage of drag queens reading stories to children (Radical Left Ad 2). Rubio continues, referencing how the left allows “illegal aliens and drugs to flood into our country” and that “if you speak out, they ban you on social media and they call you a racist” while a video of illegal aliens sitting on the border wall pops up on the screen (ibid.). These are both clear policy positions the Republican party is willing to stand on in the midterms: family values and anti-illegal immigration and pro-law and order.
He then attacks Demings directly, associating her with these policies by pointing out that she “votes with [Speaker] Pelosi 100% of the time” (ibid.). This ad clocks in at 30 seconds, a perfect length for all forms of delivery. This length is standard for TV, online streaming services like Hulu and social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. A great campaign is encapsulated in a great slogan. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign could be defined by any of his anti-Wall Street statements, but I believe he said it best with “the truth is you can’t change a corrupt system by taking its money” (Semiatin and Devine). Rubio ends his advertisement with similar branding, saying he approved this message “because I was raised by people who lost their country and I’m not gonna let us lose ours” (Marco Rubio for Senate). While an overwhelmingly negative ad in the sense that Rubio is defining himself by what his opponents are not, the hook at the end appeals to a broad range of Americans. Rubio was delivered to power in 2010 and 2016 on a unified bloc of whites and Latinos, and this appeals to both, although really only in the particular way that works for Florida Cubans.
This is not Rubio’s only advertisement in recent weeks, with one featuring a pro-life Democrat. The ad is entirely in Spanish, obviously aimed at the state’s large Latino community, and targets those on the “extreme left” such as AOC, Rashida Talib, Ilhan Omar and others who will “destroy Florida” (Valores). And “even though I don’t agree with Marco Rubio on everything, I know he knows how to deal with this madness” (ibid.). This particular ad is reminiscent of George Bush’s 2000 ad “Muchas Gracias” in the sense that it is one of the earliest Spanish-language ads I could find on Living Room Candidate, with both caveating that while neither candidate is perfect, he is the less bad option. As for Rubio’s Radical Left Ad 2, there is nothing I can quite compare it to. At no other point in the country’s history have we been so divided, and at no point in the past two election cycles have any candidates declared cultural war in the way Rubio did. Trump may have had bold statements, but he never looked down the barrel of the camera to put out an ad like this.
Marco Rubio For Senate, director. Marco Rubio Radical Left Ad 2. YouTube, YouTube, 6 Oct. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ffDFBI0cXs. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.
Marco Rubio For Senate, director. Marco Rubio Ad Valores. YouTube, YouTube, 13 Oct. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMm74jA-r2M. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.
Semiatin, Richard J., and Tomas Devine. “Chapter 3 Paid Media in Campaigns: Now and in the Future.” Campaigns on the Cutting Edge, CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, 2021, pp. 29–42.
Val Demings has been running tv advertisements for her Senate campaign since the beginning of June 2022. While most of the ads start positive in tone, she usually ends up taking blows at her opponent Marco Rubio making the ads feel very negative in tone. An NBC News article “Demings Launches First TV ad on Abortion in Florida Senate Race”, tells us how Demings launched her first Senate campaign ad focusing on abortion, however, in the quick 30-second spotlight Val Demings managed to criticize Marco Rubio’s position. "Marco Rubio wants to criminalize abortions with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest," she adds. "Well, I know something about fighting crime, Sen. Rubio. Rape is a crime. Incest is a crime. Abortion is not." (Raedle). In another advertisement, Val Demings opened with “Marco Rubio, Val Demings here”. Then continued on to discuss her 27 years of Law Enforcement service in the State of Florida, and how the crime was reduced by 40% while she was police chief. After slightly positively expressing how she would make a great Senate, Val Demings quickly jumps into bashing Marco Rubio's attendance and how he does not show up for the people. (Demings, 2022) I think Val Deming’s ads are slightly different from previous campaigns because I have never seen a candidate run their entire campaign on bashing their opponent. Every single one of Val Deming's advertisements gives off a negative campaigning strategy more than a positive look at what she can do for Florida.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 “Political Advertising in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election” from The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communications Perspective, John Tedesco and Scott Dunn talked about how “Direct Attacks in PAC Ads” became increasingly popular after Bidens campaign in 2020 that “used attacks to show that Biden would be the kind of benevolent leader that trump was not” (Dunn et al., 69). We see Val Demings use this strategy in her July 12th advertisement on her law enforcement background. Not even halfway through her 30 seconds, Val Demings was already taking direct shots at Marco Rubio for his lack of attendance. She even said, “Marco Rubio missed more votes than nearly 75% of U.S. Senators” (Demings, 2022). Val Demings' advertisement is very much like Hillary Clinton's 2016 ad on The Livingroom Candite, where she stressed how Donald Trump was too dangerous to be in charge of the nuclear codes. Another strategy outlined by John Tedesco and Scott Dunn was painting themselves as a Benevolent Leader, saying, “The ads often associated the former vice president explicitly with many of the elements of the benevolent leader framing identified by Joslyn: compassion, empathy, integrity, activity, strength, and knowledge” (Dunn et al., 63). We see Val Demings use this strategy in her “Never Tire” campaign where she painted herself as an average black woman who grew up poor, with a compassion for making change, has taken an oath to congress, as well as to protect and serve, and never tires from standing up for what she believes in. (Demings, 2021.) This closely relates to Bidens 2020 advertisement on The Living Room Candidate, where Biden was shown as a kindhearted man who just wants to make a change for everyone. The advertisement even said Joe Biden was not looking for everyone to agree on everything, just their love for America.
“Demings Launches First TV Ad on Abortion in Florida Senate Race.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 7 Sept. 2022, https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/demings-launches-first-tv-ad-abortion-florida-senate-race-rcna46576.
Delete“Never Tire | Val Demings for U.S. Senate.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=421g_3k3sMc.
"The Living Room Candidate". Livingroomcandidate.Org, 2022, http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/.
Tedesco, John C. and Scott Dunn. “Political Advertising in the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” In The 2020 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective, edited by Robert E. Denton, Rowman &
Littlefield, 2021.
“Val Demings Ad Focuses on Her Law Enforcement Background.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 July 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk4IHKuy5F8.
While running for office, ads are likely the most important aspect of getting your name out there. It is what people see when they are watching the nightly news, or their weekly reality show. It is both what people want off their screens by the time election day rolls around, and also what people cannot stop talking about (or maybe that’s just my oddly politically active family).
ReplyDeleteIn the entirety of Herschel Walker’s campaign, he has made it a strong point to attack Sen. Warnock, regardless of the substance of the conversation or the situation that Walker is put in, Warnock is his first point that is made, and that is apparent in his attack ad entitled What else is Warnock hiding? This type of ad is similar to what Richard Denton described – in the 2020 election - as an attack on Biden’s corruption, but in this case it is an attack on Warnock’s “corruption”. While attack ads are nothing new, the style in which they are presented is. I looked back to the election of 2000, and while both candidates had attack ads, it was on the substance of the candidate’s platforms. Two of George Bush’s focused on the failings of the Clinton/Gore administration, and how he was going to improve upon those failings. So far, all of Walker’s attack ads have been personal attacks on Warnock without any way of improving upon his leadership.
Another aspect of Herschel walker’s campaign is his attempt to appeal to younger voters. In his Ad entitled Boom!, he uses some oddly spliced together soundbites placed over a trap beat, and made it sound like he was part of the young crowd, even though he is 60 years old. This reminded me of the Ad the Obama did in 2008 where he overlayed parts of his speech with other African Americans singing. Though this one was far more coherent than walker’s, it was still slightly confusing. Both of these ads are trying to appeal to their bases, and what their brand is.
The third ad that I looked at was a typical promotional ad from Walker, entitled Herschel Walker for Senate - it showed him interacting with families and constituents, and talking about his platforms. It was bright, visually and substantially, and he talked about his stance on the military, small government, and education . This is pretty standard compared to just about every other political candidate’s advertisements during this period before the election. The one that I found to be similar to this Ad was George Bush’s 1988 video with his family. Though the text on the screen is different, I think the videos that were shown helped to push their ideology of conservative family values.
DeleteThough much of Walker’s visual advertising is slightly incoherent, it is on brand for him, and may help him win the general election.
The 2020 Presidential Campaign : A Communications Perspective, edited by Robert E., Jr. Denton, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2021. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/quinnipiac/detail.action?docID=6639656.
The ads in which Raphael Warnock created are very cute and memorable. He created an ad named “Warnock Knows” where he is on a football field running as a metaphor for different races that he could lose to his opponent. The entire commercial was talking head and it was very funny and memorable. While Barack Obama during his presidential campaign created a commercial named “Country I Love” which speaks on his story as someone in America who has worked hard to get to where he is as a black man. During those times a commercial like that is effective, however given that the times are different and Warnock needs to get the vote of a younger audience, interactive, quirky and funny commercials are more for him. Another commercial Warnock created was “Never Lose Hope” which has numerous people speaking on behalf of Warnock, expressing their gratitude for him and how thankful they are of him. It is an effective, talking head commercial, very persuasive and heartfelt. Obama had created a commercial named “Yes We Can” where it is a bunch of celebrities repeating a speech of his and I believe Warnock should take this approach. Warnick’s opponent is already a high status personality so it would be helpful to have those of the same caliber on his side. The commercial “Maverick No More” by the Obama administration speaks about John McCain and has numerous people speaking negatively on him. Warnock has a commercial named :For Georgia” where he speaks on his values as a Pastor and that he applies those values to his political campaign and career. I mentioned this in my blog about the debates that it would be best for Warnock to speak on why Hershel Walker is a bad candidate. People pay attention to negativity and sometimes you have to go below the belt to turn heads. Raphael is not a strong enough candidate to play the “good guy card”. He needs to get the attention of young adults and in order to do that he needs to start saying some head turning thighs. Advertising is so important to a campaign because not everyone is interested in politics so the information some people see about politics is through advertisements. Warnock needs to step his advertising up and be more present on social media, create more loud and persuasive commercials, create his own events instead of attending rallies. It is important he does these things in order to succeed because times are evolving, a tv commercial is not the only thing that will boost him, some people do not even watch tv anymore. If Warnock expanded his advertising and marketing strategies he would be where he should be in this race.
ReplyDelete