Political communications consultant Mike Hughes, special to OffTheBus, deconstructs the latest campaign ads, frame by frame.
Obama's recent ad backs up his declaration that "we don't throw the first punch, but we'll throw the last." Obama responded to recent attacks with an ad accusing McCain of focusing on smearing Obama rather than on addressing the economy. Meanwhile, McCain's latest ad attacks Obama's character and tries to tie him to congressional free-spending liberals.
After breaking down these ads, I noticed similar techniques, including using newspaper headlines and symbols of middle-class struggles. The difference between these ads is that Obama effectively hits viewer with facts on economic issues, while McCain focuses on tax policy, but distorts the truth, which can diminish the ad's effectiveness.
Obama's "This Year" Ad (October 4)
The announcer sounds like he is narrating a documentary, giving the commercial an air of legitimacy, as if it's a 60 Minutes excerpt. The announcer says, "Three quarters of a million jobs lost this year." The visual of a locked gate will strike a chord with laid off plant workers.
The narrator says, "Our financial system in turmoil..." as supers hover over a snapshot of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, playing on fears of the stock market crash.
In this screen, the Obama campaign subtlety tries to indicate that McCain is unstable by using the word "erratic." It refers to McCain's well-publicized reaction to the economic crisis, when he dramatically suspended his campaign. Although the quote is from an editorial, viewers will be apt not to challenge it, considering it's from the USA Today, which is a familiar and neutral source.
McCain in a golf cart with George H.W. Bush and voice-over saying, "out of touch on the economy", implicates McCain as in bed with the Bush family. It also leaves the impression of a wealthy McCain hanging out in country clubs while middle-class households struggle.
The image of a newspaper excerpt and the narrator's statement "No wonder his campaign wants to change the subject, and turn the page on the financial crisis" sets up the charge on the next screen.
"By launching dishonest, dishonorable 'assaults' against Barack Obama." Obama wants to trigger a sense of outrage by implying that McCain would rather focus on smearing his opponent than on addressing economic issues. It tells viewers to expect more negative attack ads, because McCain does not want to talk about the economy.
The clever voice-over of "struggling families can't turn the page on this economy" with a picture of a concerned family in the background, builds on the notion that McCain doesn't really care about Main Street -- he only cares about getting elected.
Narrator: "And we can't afford another President who is this out of touch." The final snapshot is powerful, symbolizing that there is no difference between McCain and George W. Bush. Combined with the the voice-over, it serves as an enthymeme, with the unspoken assumption that Bush's policies are to blame for the current economic crisis. Therefore, by voting for McCain, nothing will change.
"Tax Cutter" Ad (October 3)
The announcer says in a sinister voice, "Who is Barack Obama?" as the commercial begins with a frozen picture of a guilty-looking Obama.
The viewer can hear Obama's muddled voice giving a campaign promise -- and by now -- most voters have grown weary of campaign promises.
The announcer says "Really?" in a sarcastic tone.
The commercial visually tallies the number of times Obama has voted for higher taxes, as the numbers on the screen roll from 78 and then stop at 94, highlighted in red for emphasis. The announcer reads the words on the screen: "Senator Obama voted 94 times for higher taxes."
The announcer repeats the numbers: "Ninety-four times", hoping voters will walk away with this number stuck in their minds.
Narrator: "He's not truthful on taxes." McCain continues to build the argument that Obama cannot be trusted, and hopes viewers will be skeptical when they hear Obama talk about tax-cuts going forward.
McCain attempts to hang the liberal label on Obama. The voice-over says, "At least Congressional liberals admit they want to raise your taxes." The image of a mother and son insinuates liberal policies will harm your family. It is a wise approach to try to tie Obama to Congress, considering that approval ratings for Congress are at all-time lows. The headline suggests Obama will raise taxes on all Americans. McCain distorts the truth here, because Obama is proposing to provide tax-cuts for 95% of working families.
The narrator continues the sentence from the previous frame: "add billions in new spending", with an indicting headline from a credible source of financial news: The Wall Street Journal.
Narrator: "and oppose offshore drilling." The McCain campaign, apparently running low on funds, tries to throw in multiple messages here, which can dilute from the central theme that Obama is a "tax-and-spend liberal."
In the final screen, the narrator concludes with "Congressional liberals. The Truth hurts. You." There is a pause before the narrator says "you", which is then lit up in red.
The Obama ad is potent because of its damning visuals linking McCain to the past, and its use of reliable sources to continue to paint McCain as "out of touch" with the economy. McCain uses a similar approach, although his ad takes most of its information out of context. Using a candidate's record and words against himself is typically powerful and can resonate with voters -- so long as voters don't go to factcheck.org.
