Liberal ads target Tories' management of the economy ahead of Thanksgiving weekend
Ad Hawk | Stephen Harper called out of touch with struggling middle class in Liberal TV ads
Ad Hawk is an occasional series evaluating the effectiveness of political advertising.
Two ads recently released by the Liberal Party challenge Stephen Harper and the Conservatives on their management of the economy. Together, the ads position Trudeau as the leader who would truly support the middle class and the Liberals as the party that would represent "real change" for Canadians.
What's the message?
The first ad opens with a clip of Harper saying the Canadian middle class "has had good growth over the past few years" before immediately transitioning to Trudeau pronouncing Harper is out of touch with middle-class Canadians and doesn't "feel" their hardships.
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The second ad states that Harper has had 10 years to get the economy moving but has failed to do so. Much like Trudeau's previous escalator ad, the Liberals are once again utilizing a smart and simple visual mnemonic to express their message. This time, an expanding mosaic of videos of Harper repeatedly buttoning his jacket is accompanied by a voiceover alluding to the expression that doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity.
The message of the two ads taken together? A vote for Harper is a vote for the stagnation of the economy and will continue to visit woes upon a struggling Canadian middle class.
Why now?
Trudeau has been a bit of a slow burn over the past few months, putting forward a solid social media campaign, performing more strongly in the debates than was predicted, and managing to overcome some on-camera blunders.
Given this, with the election just 12 days away and the competition looking increasingly like a two-party race, Liberal communications are bound to heat up. The objective is likely to give Canadian families clear discussion points for their Thanksgiving dinners this weekend.
Kernel of truth?
Wrapping economic arguments in rhetoric suggesting Harper is unsympathetic to the everyman is a smart strategy. Connecting emotionally with Canadians has been one of Trudeau's consistent strengths and one of Harper's consistent weaknesses.
It's also an interesting strategy given the Conservatives have long painted Trudeau as having been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Perhaps Trudeau's intent is to remove it and place it squarely inside Harper's instead?
Rating: While the script for "Out of Touch" is solid and the visuals for "Over and Over" are clear and concise, these communications may not be critical enough to do major damage this late in the game. For the Liberals to get a clear edge over the Conservatives in advance of Oct. 19, they may need to throw some harder-hitting punches. I give each ad about a 7/10.
Kerry McKibbin is a Group Account Director at Zulu Alpha Kilo, a Toronto-based advertising agency. Kerry has worked on some of Canada's biggest brands and campaigns and specializes in multi-channel communications including digital and social media strategy.