EDITORIALS
Political Ads vs. Corporate Ads
If you used the phrase “egotism in advertising,” many people would respond:
“Oh, you mean like those awful ads for political candidates?”
The reputation of the ad biz never sinks so low as it does every two years in election season. People feel they need to take a shower if they watch TV too long, because of the mud-slinging.
Even now, weeks later, some TV viewers still have political fatigue, if not a hangover.
I’m not a political analyst, but I am old enough to have noticed that, election after election, campaign ads keep getting more vitriolic, simple-minded and fear-mongering. If even a small fraction of the attacks were true, you’d think this was not a campaign so much as a crime wave. With the ugly visuals, ominous music and menacing voiceover, It’s like the dark corruption you usually only see in Gotham City in a Batman movie.
Political ads and corporate ads are very different. We should understand the differences…
Political ads are more aggressive and contrast-driven because they have to be more persuasive. The aim of a political ad is often to take a little-known candidate from 30% in the polls to over 50% in just a few weeks. If creative directors in corporate ad agencies were told by clients they needed such dramatic results, they’d need a barf bag (which is what one candidate used as a campaign hand-out; with an anti-incumbent message printed on it. He lost.)
Political ads are often designed in synch with a PR strategy. The ad producers know that the media will give them free exposure, previewing or reviewing an ad. To maximize free publicity, political ads are designed to ignite controversy that will promote the campaign message and fuel campaign fundraising. Corporate ads, by contrast, are usually risk-averse. They don’t want ads to generate controversy – things could get out of control for marketing execs.
Political ads are usually low-budget. Most campaigns under the congressional level don’t have the money for expensive production. Even bio spots are often consciously crafted to look home-made, documentary style… Political ads want to convey genuineness, not slickness. Their focus is on persuasive values, not production values. If they have hand-held video footage of an opponent uttering a gaffe, bingo! It may look beastly, but to politicos it’s beautiful. Corporate ads have the opposite sensibility – valuable products deserve the best production values.
Political image-making – especially TV spots – can be an exercise in egotism. There’s a candidate to be satisfied, or at least mollified, and maybe also the candidate’s spouse. The top fundraiser needs to be kept happy and motivated. The pollster wants to see ads that reflect his or her advice. The same is true of the press secretary, who will have to defend the content to skeptical reporters. There are many egos involved, and many speak with the authority of having watched tens of thousands of commercials through the years. They have Everyman Syndrome – “I know what I like, and that’s what most people like.” Corporate ads can also be a committee process – within an agency and within a client company – but the decision-making is usually based on recent market research, past success and failure, and corporate objectives.
The biggest difference between political ads and corporate ads is who makes the final decision in authorizing the spot. In a political campaign, ultimately the candidate decides. “I approve this message.” It’s his or her reputation at stake, and having the right commercials can mean the difference between winning and losing a race. In the corporate world, unless it’s the owner of a firm who appears as the principal spokesman, approving a spot is not as personal or risky.
Those of us in corporate advertising may feel we do superior work to what we see for political candidates – at least below the presidential level. But we should keep our egos in check. Political ad-makers do tough work under tough circumstances. I don’t envy them. On the other hand, I’m glad I don’t have to see their spots for a long while.
My thumb is still calloused from working the fast-forward button on my DVR.
Alex Poulos is the President at LaunchPad Media.
LaunchPad is an award-winning creative agency specializing in interactive media production – creating websites and driving traffic to them through advertising, search optimization, and PR. Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, LaunchPad serves clients throughout the U.S.
Comments
When someone writes an paragraph he/she retains the idea of a user in his/her
mind that how a user can know it. So that's why this paragraph
is amazing. Thanks!
Wow! Finally I got a website from where I be capable of
really get helpful data regarding my study and knowledge.
Of course, the nature of the problem upon which I had been pondering involves, more specifically, nothing upon which
anything as fundamentally drastic as the veracity of Scripture
itself on the whole is seen to necessarily hang in the balance, either
way, short of an actual and ABSOLUTELY CONCLUSIVE means of PROVING that Christ, if He really existed at all, let-alone in accordance with the Biblical record, had
NOT been crucified on a Wednesday; but, rather, merely a means of attempting to more concisely and verifiably determine exactly what KIND of in ANY case CLEARLY DEFINITE ORDER AND DESIGN is POSSIBLY embodied therein, in the STRICTEST CALENDRICAL SENSE, from among still
other related possibilities which may only require that a different configuration from that being specifically investigated is actually the case.
You do not want to harvest when you are not able to play.
Note that fudge won't spread if you can get rid of at least one square per turn.
La registro ya la dimos y en los próximos días se va a hacer pública.
Ask your veterinarian for a list of reputable pet
health insurance companies and start there with your research by making pet insurance comparisons.
Because of the hurricanes that can sweep up and down Florida's
coastline pet owners in Florida should consider purchasing a pet health insurance
plan that will protect their pets in event of a hurricane.
And yes, it feels good to pamper Fido or Fluffy by giving them "just a little taste" of what we're
having for su pper.
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I believe that you need to write more about this subject matter, it may
not be a taboo matter but typically people do not speak about
these subjects. To the next! Cheers!!
I am гeally loving the theme/design оf yоur
blog. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues?
А couple ߋf my blog visitors ɦave complained aboսt my site not working correctly іn Explorer but lօoks
great іn Opera. Ɗo you have any tips to hеlp fix this
issue?
Hey very nice blog!
Please let me know if you're looking for a article writer for your
blog. You have some really great posts and I think I would be a good asset.
If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd really like
to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
Please shoot me an email if interested. Thanks!
Howdy are using Wordpress for your blog platform? I'm new to the blog world but I'm tryinmg too get started and
create my own. Do you need any coding exprtise to make your own blog?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello There. I discovered your blog using msn. This
is a really well writen article. I'll make sure to bookmark it
and come bsck to read extra of your helpful information. Thank you
for the post. I'll certainly return.
I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post's to be what precisely I'm
looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for you personally?
I wouldn't mind writing a post or elaborating on most of the subjects you write in relation to
here. Again, awesome website!
Good way of telling, andd njce paragraph to tale information about my presentation focus, which i am
going to deliver in college.
Hello, always i used to check web site posts here early in the dawn, for the reason that i emjoy to gain knowledge oof more and more.
I am in fact glad to read this website posts which contains
lots of helpful facts, thanks for providing these kinds of data.
I all the time used to study piece of writing in news papers but now
as I am a user of web thus from now I am using net
for content, thanks to web.
What'sup, yeah thiss post is genuiinely fastidious annd I have learned lot of things from itt about blogging.
thanks.
Good response in return off tgis difficulty with firm arguments and explaining the
whole thing on the topic oof that.
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your website in internet explorer, could check this?
IE nonetheless is the market chief and a big section of other folks will miss your great writing due to this problem.
You can certainly see your expertise in the work you write.
The world hopes for even more passionate writers such as
you who are not afraid to mention how they believe.
At all times go after your heart.
Superb blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own website soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform
like Wordpress or go for a paid option? There are so many
choices out there that I'm completely overwhelmed ..
Any suggestions? Kudos!
Post new comment