YES WE CAN – New Approaches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsV2O4fCgjk
I personally liked the “Yes we can” presidential campaign commercial from the Obamas 2008 campaign. The video takes multimedia, collage approach which combines clips of celebrities singing, acting, or dancing along with an uplifting speech given by Obama. I like this commercial because for several reasons. One reason is that it draws special attention and emphasis to his message, a powerful message at that. The commercial showcases his words as a powerful art, as well known faces copy his expressions along with a video recording of one of his speeches. I also like how the commercial showcases some of his followers (the celebrities) and their demographic differences. Something I really like about this commercial along with another one of Obama’s campaign commercials (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiB-Fs9HdyE) was how clear and straight forward he is in his plans and how to execute them. He clearly states problems and the start of their solutions. In this second commercial, it is a clear portrait of him, in a well-lit room. His language is clear, his tone is bold and reliable, and his message is reliable and honest.
In addition, there were three commercials from the Johnson 1964 campaign that I was not fond of… titled “Peace Little Girl (Daisy)” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ynEiRvxazU), “Ice cream” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAn6w2CNII0), and “Mother and Child” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUO0PqJMsTg). These commercials manipulate the audience and play solely on fear. While nuclear warfare was at the forefront of the American public’s minds and they all desired protection, his commercials do not show his identity or offer solutions… they just show a little girl eating icecream, plucking flower petals, and a mother and child walking in a field with a balloon- all followed by ominously saying that “the stakes are too high for you to stay home”. There is no hint at a solution or any other policies or values that he stands for. All the victims in his commercials are also females or little girls… I know this is from over 70 years ago but I still… cmonnnn
I also do not like the commercials that use fear mongering. It is interesting to watch ones from so long ago and see if the fears were legitimate or senseless. Either way, playing on people’s emotion and offering no solution is a cheap shot. I think positive ads, like the one you mentioned first, are much more effective.
Ads like the YES WE CAN one are very effective at pulling at the audiences emotional ties. It has a message of positivity, which is see as more effective than the attack ads.
I agree that ads that use fearmongering really just put the people in panic.The emotional appeal that these ads grab at seems really insensitive, especially if there is no solution mentioned about the problem. It creates a less informed decision for viewers as they are worried about what could happen in the future.
I agree that fearmongering is ultimately a bad thing, but I do think it can be a very effective tool when trying to get votes. Many voters do not do their own research and when they hear a candidate say all the bad things their opponents are doing or things that could happen, they take their word. This can result in a lot of votes their way.
I think that ads which really hone in on the candidate’s message as opposed to opponent’s flaws, which many ads consist of, are the most impactful to voters. Especially if the message is as powerful and influential as Obama’s in this ad.