Thursday, October 26, 2006
commentary: politics & media
So elections are coming up (again?) and my parents have (again.) "forgotten" to send my absentee ballot to me so I can vote OC style. It's not that I don't know the value of voting, but it is a pain to change my address officially the way I actually do, and OC is my home.
That said, campaign season is always interesting, especially the issues and the commercials. Oh, the commercials. Here in New York two candidates are pointing fingers saying the other is a crook (complete with mug shots and prisoner numbers). In Tennessee, they're using "Playboy" style commercials to question a candidate's moral compass (complete with racial undertones - so lowbrow). Everyone in California has seen those backwards walking commercials for Arnold (later copped by the Angelides camp).
Interestingly enough, and good thing, since it is an interesting topic, the University of Oklahoma's Political Communication Center has a Political Commercial Archive. Last updated in 2005, look here to find all your classics.
Throwing around accusations does not help you get voters. And voters that base their vote on commercials are really doing themselves a disservice. It's insane how much money goes into a political campaign these days (NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg as an example? $84 million on his reelection bid for mayor). Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should do it.
My favorite commercial of this season, creatively and message-wise, is the AARP musical candidate commercial. One of the, if not the, largest group in the U.S. (forget in what capacity, but it is very important politically), they have taken a stance on political commercials by producing a commercial of their own.
They even have a site called dontvote.com. Two great things about this commercial: it's catchy (you don't ever see a positive political commercial these days, especially not in musical form), and it has a great message. Also on that website find the "Ask a Politician" section. You can enter you own question and their "politician" will give you the polition-approved answer. The AARP is benefitting not only their own constituents but everyone else in this country with this campaign.
Compare this to the much more high profile Vote or Die campaign launched by P.Diddy and MTV in 2004. Celebrity-studded, hip-hop soundtracked youth oriented. Just about the opposite of what the AARP is doing now. As a young person in between the two target audiences (too old for MTV and decades away from AARP), it's like looking back and looking forward, in an odd sort of way.
That said, campaign season is always interesting, especially the issues and the commercials. Oh, the commercials. Here in New York two candidates are pointing fingers saying the other is a crook (complete with mug shots and prisoner numbers). In Tennessee, they're using "Playboy" style commercials to question a candidate's moral compass (complete with racial undertones - so lowbrow). Everyone in California has seen those backwards walking commercials for Arnold (later copped by the Angelides camp).
Interestingly enough, and good thing, since it is an interesting topic, the University of Oklahoma's Political Communication Center has a Political Commercial Archive. Last updated in 2005, look here to find all your classics.
Throwing around accusations does not help you get voters. And voters that base their vote on commercials are really doing themselves a disservice. It's insane how much money goes into a political campaign these days (NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg as an example? $84 million on his reelection bid for mayor). Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should do it.
My favorite commercial of this season, creatively and message-wise, is the AARP musical candidate commercial. One of the, if not the, largest group in the U.S. (forget in what capacity, but it is very important politically), they have taken a stance on political commercials by producing a commercial of their own.
They even have a site called dontvote.com. Two great things about this commercial: it's catchy (you don't ever see a positive political commercial these days, especially not in musical form), and it has a great message. Also on that website find the "Ask a Politician" section. You can enter you own question and their "politician" will give you the polition-approved answer. The AARP is benefitting not only their own constituents but everyone else in this country with this campaign.
Compare this to the much more high profile Vote or Die campaign launched by P.Diddy and MTV in 2004. Celebrity-studded, hip-hop soundtracked youth oriented. Just about the opposite of what the AARP is doing now. As a young person in between the two target audiences (too old for MTV and decades away from AARP), it's like looking back and looking forward, in an odd sort of way.
# posted by ange : 10:38 AM
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