By Kathleen E. Kendall,Research ProfessorDepartment of CommunicationUniversity of Maryland
Newswise — Wednesday night, Senator Barack Obama ran a 30-minute ad on seven networks (CBS, FOX, NBC, BET, MSNBC, Univision, and TV One). The total cost is estimated at between $3 and $4 million dollars. Buying big chunks of time on national television is an old-fashioned thing to do, common in the 1960's and '70's, but not used since Ross Perot's half-hour infomercials on the economy in 1992. The 30-second spot has been the norm for many years. And you can see why, if you watched the Obama message.
The good 30-second spot makes a sharp, clear point, with enough evidence to give credibility to the claim. The good 30-second spot engages our interest and arouses our curiosity, with pictures and music and words. The best of these spots involve us in the logic of the argument, intriguing us, like a story or play where we want to figure out the ending. We gain information about the candidate's character and policies through these ads, as well as through many other sources of information. One of the best examples of such an ad was that of Governor Bill Richardson during the primaries, in which he took part in a humorous, staged job interview. The interview format provided the opportunity to inform the audience of his extensive leadership experience, without seeming to boast. As the ad unfolded, you found yourself thinking, He sounds well prepared to be president!
The Obama 30-minute admakers had the luxury of time, but sometimes time is an enemy. It is true that 60-70 million people watched each of the presidential debates, and they are 90 minutes long. But the presidential debates have a special attraction because they are about the two leading candidates for president interacting with each other, giving us information about their images and issues. There is an air of uncertainty and risk in the unscripted, live situation. Obama's 30-minute ad was immediately recognizable as a pre-recorded, scripted, one-way message, in the complete control of the candidate.
Obama's long ad tried to do too many things, and in that effort, lost the chance to create a moving, powerful story. It was an episodic message, made up of scattered pieces, each with a reason for inclusion, but failing to hang together. Obama appeared in an Oval Office-type scene, and spoke about his goal to change the country. Four scenes focused on families with economic and health problems. Political figures spoke briefly, such as Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio, Governor Kathleen Sebalius of Kansas, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico. Lines from Obama's Acceptance Address in Denver served as transitions between topics. Obama spoke of his family and upbringing, with pictures of his mother, father, wife and daughters. The ad ended with a live rally in Florida, with Obama urging people to knock on doors for me, and predicting that We will win this election!
The strongest part of the ad was in defining the problems with the status quo , particularly in the economy, through the testimony of four families he introduced. Rebecca and Brian in Missouri, Larry and Juanita in Ohio, Juliana the teacher, and Mark and Melinda in Kentucky - all came across as sympathetic figures, people who had worked hard and been dealt harsh blows in the economy. Their statements were poignant. Mark, a third generation Ford Motor employee, had experienced cutbacks in his job, and worried about losing the job altogether. This is all I know, he said. The teacher was working a second job, and said it was hard to keep your head above water. Rebecca and Brian had delayed an operation Brian needed because they couldn't afford it. These moving cases of people you could identify with created a clear sense of need for a change.
The solution part of the message, however, lacked power. Touching on the issues of taxes, energy, Iraq, education, and health care, Obama made brief statements promising change and improvement, with little development as to why these were the best solutions.
There is no doubt that Obama's long ad had at least two goals: to persuade the undecided voters, especially in the swing states, and to activate his supporters to get out the vote. He primed his supporters extensively in advance by sending them e-mail messages about the broadcast, and urging them to make telephone calls for his campaign during the broadcast. He highlighted the names of the swing states throughout the program, by his selection of human interest stories and endorsements from governors in those states. But the producers tried to cover too many ideas, and lost that crucial sense of focus required in political advertising. The broadcast fell short in developing the case that Senator Obama was the solution to our problems.
Bring back the thirty-second ad!
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