The classic US political advertisement

Why is this advertisement a classic? Because of the well-trodden path in terms of the style, structure and the way in which it tries to evoke a whole series of emotional reactions among the audience.

It starts with the here and now. Obama is president, he is speaking, making promises. This cuts then to news reports which are selected carefully to demonstrate all that Obama offered has not been delivered. The music would be appropriate for a thriller, just when the hero is in danger. The hero here is America - of course. But then the saviour arrives. the music becomes upbeat, faster, the images faster, positive. Rick Perry promises a new form of leadership, the one that America deserves, all is suddenly right with the world.

The narrative is simple and all too common. The situation is bad, this is the blame of the incumbent. But there is an alternative. The imagery, music and words all associate Obama with negatives - the use of the word Zero especially. Is Perry building a 'from Hero to Zero' narrative for Obama? Perry is associated with all that is positive, sunlight, warmth, bravery and Americana of course. The classic comparative ad as if it had been lifted from a shelf and the images changed. As American as apple pie but also as universal as the debt crisis, this is the narrative that underpins so many election campaigns.

Americanisation?

As I commented earlier, Ken now has Obama's team working for him; Paddick announced a few days ago that Mark Penn, sacked by Hillary Clinton, is now on his team to assist Democrat strategist Rick Ridder and US ‘blog­father' Jerome Armstrong. Gordon Brown and Boris Johnson seem to be sticking mostly with home grown talent, Brown recently hiring Mark Flanagan of LBC to a team with predominantly UK-based experience. but it is interesting that Americans are the most prized catches it seems, is it due to the fact that US politics is that little bit ahead in technology and strategy, is it based on the idea that if they can do well in the US the UK should be a piece of cake; or is it that there are so many professional political strategists in the US that they have to go abroad to find work? What the UK lacks are political consultancies and this is mainly due to the lack of funding for political campaigns, in the US the spending is bigger than many third world countries' debt, one does beget the other. But maybe more of the big PR and Marketing companies should set up a political wing, one of the key questions surrounding Americanisation as a concept is whether US practice can be transplanted within other nation's polities; some say yes, some say no. Without belittling the great work of our US colleagues, it does make me wonder whether a UK firm would have a better understanding of UK people, politics and communication? It's an interesting question if nothing else.

Post-Modern Campaigning - for all to see

Anyone who wants to understand the nature of the post-modern campaign has only to look at what is going on in Iowa; it provides a snapshot of what US politics is about and, to a large extent, tells us a lot about campaigning. Iowa is a key state for both Democrats and Republicans, winning there could mean winning the presidency. Whoever wins the nominations could be the party candidate and the level of support they win could ensure them the presidency: it is an indicator if nothing else.

Obama and Clinton are neck and neck, polls tell us. Obama's team are constant stressing their unique selling point of being outsiders of the Washington machine. His emails stress a comparative message:

"Attack ads and insults, distractions and dishonesty, and millions of dollars from outside groups and undisclosed donors. The Washington establishment is throwing everything at us to try and block our path. And these outside attack groups are just another part of the same broken system that turns people off from the political process. We chose to do this differently"

Whether out of necessity, for political capital, or for ideological reasons, Obama is the people's candidate. His campaign relies on donations from the public and he is matching his opponents somehow. He argues that $25 from each member of his grassroots campaign will tip the balance his way. What are they paying for, the traditional ad slots around the news to ensure his voice is heard as often as Hilary Clinton's. This is backed up by his 'Stand for Change' Tour taking in all major cities in the run up to tomorrow's caucus.

Meanwhile Republican Mike Huckabee is gaining exposure on the Jay Leno Tonight Show playing his bass guitar, well a similar ploy is argued to have worked for Clinton way back when. His opponent Mitt Romney is going for name recognition using Des Moines children. They have 'The Mitt' to hit each other with, an inflatable club with Mitt 08 written along it. Mitt is also holding 'House Party Huddles', where he visits voter's homes to chat with them, their extended families and their friends. This personal touch will only reach a few voters directly but, like Obama's famous dinners, could give the perception of interacting when reported in the media and talked about by voters.

It is all about recognition, getting the name know and ensuring everyone gets some sense of what the candidate wants voters to know about them. It encompasses high profile TV appearances, glossy ads in magazines, newspapers and on primetime TV slots, but also more traditional pavement politics though conducted with an eye to getting favourable media coverage and thrird party endorsement (voters promoting the candidate themselves). This review does not mention the web of course, but that is also employed by each of the candidates, they have Facebook groups, Youtube uploads and websites that offer videos, downloads the works. Highly cost intensive, a great spectator event, and none of the candidates can afford not to use every trick as to do so could lose those few votes crucial to winning the Iowan nomination. This is the post-modern campaign that tries to offer something for everyone, but also depends on the mainstream media to point voters in the right direction - how successful they are is judged, like most PR, through reading the headlines.