A sharp contrast: Liberal and Conservative ads
May 30, 2007 · By Joel
* “We’re not interested in spending millions and millions of dollars on contrived, vicious, mean-spirited television ads to attack our opponents,” said Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, who unveiled…a digital PowerPoint presentation on [the Liberal party's] website, making the case that Harper has “plagiarized” U.S. President George W. Bush’s tactics and policies.The presentation suggests the Harper government even shares the Bush administration’s taste in interior design - a photo taken through a window in the prime minister’s office building shows a 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign poster hanging on a Harper aide’s wall.
“We’re only interested in low-budget, contrived, vicious, mean-spirited ads to attack our opponents,” he concluded.
My, my. That sounds a bit like sour grapes at having a very big and wealthy government getting wupped and wupped good by a bunch of kids with a camera!
If you think that is what is happening Ted, then keep dreaming.
Why wasn’t the gal wearing the official “I’m Liberal” thong?
How do you know she wasn’t?
Ted:
No, I actually quite liked the young Liberals’ ads. I thought they were pretty clever. But those ads aren’t going to do any wuppin’.
The whole point of political ads is to reach non-political, unengaged voters. The only people who are going to see the young Liberals’ ads are political junkies whose minds won’t be changed.
“The whole point of political ads is to reach non-political, unengaged voters.”
That’s why I think they whup the CPC brass ads, particularly in contrast.
The first CPC ads were trebly deadly effective: (1) they were well produced, direct, to the point, clear (2) they hit at defining Dion on an issue he seemed and was vulnerable and (3) there was no response to them.
These CPC ads are ineffective because they are (1) convoluted - Dion is not a leader because he can’t get some old farts who were appointed by other Prime Ministers and who we all say are lazy and an unaccountable to get them to do what the PM wants on the PMs schedule on a major constitutional change… hunh? (2) they are repetitive - yes, we’ve heard the “not a leader” chant now, to keep saying that without becoming a parody of yourself (and therefore countering your message) you need to repeat the message in a different light, in a slightly different way and they haven’t so they are speaking only to political junkies who already believe the message delivered and (3) there was an awesome example of the power of rapid response. They don’t reach out to convince anyone who wasn’t already convinced plus if there was anyone, you have this rapid response to compare and contrast against.
But the Liberal ads, which aren’t going to win any advertisement awards and aren’t terribly original but are quirky and funny and entertaining, are fresh and reaching a lot of young people. Not just because they are good/funny or whatever, but because they were produced by young people, they were spread through new technology (blogs, Facebook), they were spread through new technology that the CPC reject (helps the message of next generation/David vs. powerful government/Goliath) and they got exposure on national TV, and here we are talking about them.
Does this move votes? If the Libs and the Lib youth did nothing else, no. But the modest success of that little website has electrified the Liberal Youth and energized them. The Liberals problem in the last 7 years has been connecting with ordinary Canadians and grassroots Liberals. This is a huge step forward in reconnecting and re-energizing.
Oh no… they’re “reaching a lot of young people”???
Gee, fifteen years from now when those young people finally locate the polling booth, I sure hope they don’t remember these ads… ;-)
touché
but hey, we have to celebrate our successes where we can these days!