By Kim
Obama has launched his first general election campaign ad “Country I love” in 18 key states this Friday. The 60-second spot, see above, is based on his connections to the American foundations of “strong families and strong values.” However, what may be a first for any general election ad EVER is that upfront Obama points out that he was raised by a single mother. But hell, I was too — he’s just like me! But for such a family-centric ad message, I’d like to point out Michelle and his daughters are no where to be seen.
The cynic, or advertising major, in me also notices the call out of the Kansas values his grandparent’s raised him on, namely accountability, self reliance, love of country, Golden rule, etc. Plus, as Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post points out, “images of Obama's mother and grandparents — all of whom are white — are featured prominently in the ad.” Don’t forget the little white-haired lady pulling him close to whisper something in his ear.
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In all, this is a clear appeal to the masses that Barack Obama is just like you. After all, he’s no Wall Street sell out (we’ll see how his tune changes for the NY ads) and he even had to take out loans for college — gasp! (BTW, the colleges he went to were Columbia and Harvard, neither mentioned by name). It remains to be seen exactly how effective these ads will be in making him more relatable. For a guy whose favorite book is Moby Dick, this will certainly be a feat. But he did have a sweet-a** bomber jacket in the '80s. That deserves some everyman points.
Comments (2)
Not only does the video not show his wife or kids, it doesn't show a single minority. All of the crowd shots have all Caucasians in the immediate foreground. The only photo that may have minorities is in black and white so you can't even really tell.
Just thought it was interesting.
Is it a coincidence that the first 18 states in which the ad appears are Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia?
AdAge didn't think so either: http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=127854