Bernard Gauthier

For the record, I am a big fan of political advertising that is focused on a party’s own policy, that avoids scare tactics and that refrains from using and distorting old and unflattering photos of opposing politicians (tactics used by all three major parties in the past and that we’re already seeing again in this campaign). By all three measures, then, I should be delighted with the two English language TV spots the Liberals have so far unveiled in this campaign. I should be but I am not. The biggest problem with both of these spots is evident on first viewing: no focus. In both cases, we are quite literally bombarded with about a dozen key messages all in the space of 30 seconds. The end result: confusion leading to indifference. The fact that the barrage is at once verbal, visual (PowerPoint and caffeine is a dangerous mix) and aural (voice, music and annoying “zip” sound effect competing for attention) only makes matters worse.

If the ads are poorly executed, they also lack on the strategy side of things. I can’t imagine even the most charitable commentator would suggest that the Green Shift policy is the Liberal’s strong card in this election. A long-delayed and legally challenging launch, preceded by an effective Conservative campaign to frame the policy as a tax (see my earlier posting on the topic) pretty much guaranteed that this policy would not be an election winner (look back to Jean Chretien’s Red Book campaign for an example of how it’s done).

So if the Green Shift isn’t the strength to be leveraged, what is? How about a multi-year record of economic growth, job creation and budgetary surpluses that borders on the unprecedented in Canadian history? How about a diverse and deep talent pool that includes well-known and effective communicators like Ralph Goodale, Denis Coderre, Ruby Dhalla, Mark Holland, to say nothing of Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff? These guys even have an astronaut running for goodness sakes! And how about a commitment to a range of social and environmental issues that, if communicated right, sets them clearly apart from the Conservatives?

We get none of this in these two spots. What a waste of the precious few advertising dollars the party has gathered.

Here’s what I find most interesting in all of this. The first wave of French-language TV spots for the Liberals (dated September 7th) is infinitely stronger on all fronts. The spots are more focused, they make full use of the Liberal roster of Quebec candidates and celebrity candidates, and they argue that the values of the party on a range of issues are fundamentally different from those of the Conservatives. Strategic and well executed.

The latest crop of French-language spots is also very strong in terms of its tight focus, solid production values and emphasis on differentiating the leadership styles of Harper and Dion. They’re a direct attack on Harper’s strength in this campaign (leadership) which, from a strategic point of view, is gutsy. As an appeal to undecided voters whose perceptions of both leaders might not yet be crystallized, it just might work.

There’s a limit to how much of an impact TV advertising can have on an election campaign. The policy announcements, the backroom gaffes and the performance of leaders in debates and on the campaign trail all play a significant role. We’ve seen that already. Still, launching an electoral campaign with spots that simply aren’t strategic and that are poorly executed is a sure-fire way to rob a campaign of a clear sense of direction, momentum and excitement.

All of which begs the question, of course. Why not simply adopt the same ad strategy in both official languages?