Monsieur President
The Liberals have a new TV ad out today and, after skewering their french radio ads last week, I can safely give this one the thumbs up.
Even though it's an ad about the environment, it's not really an ad about the environment. This is undeniably a response to Tory messaging that Dion is a weak leader, so we see him leading the international climate change conference, bringing countries together, and having the "President" label in front of him as he triumphantly bangs the gavel to applause. It's hard to deny those aren't good optics that paint Dion is a very favourable light.
There are also six radio ads up on the site - three in English, three in French. The first two are on poverty which is a nice change from the all environment all the time focus. The third is a translation from the brutal french radio spot that attacked Harper for attacking Dion.
The first two French radio spots are direct translations from the English poverty ones. The third is on the environment incredulously asking about Harper's road to Damascus conversion to the environment.
Would have liked to have seen this a bit earlier but, better late than never.
Even though it's an ad about the environment, it's not really an ad about the environment. This is undeniably a response to Tory messaging that Dion is a weak leader, so we see him leading the international climate change conference, bringing countries together, and having the "President" label in front of him as he triumphantly bangs the gavel to applause. It's hard to deny those aren't good optics that paint Dion is a very favourable light.
There are also six radio ads up on the site - three in English, three in French. The first two are on poverty which is a nice change from the all environment all the time focus. The third is a translation from the brutal french radio spot that attacked Harper for attacking Dion.
The first two French radio spots are direct translations from the English poverty ones. The third is on the environment incredulously asking about Harper's road to Damascus conversion to the environment.
Would have liked to have seen this a bit earlier but, better late than never.
Labels: Ads
posted by calgarygrit at
1:52 p.m.
18 Comments:
Really like the TV ad. As for the radio ads, I think they would have been better if the listener could be referred to someplace to find out what Dion thinks should be done - like the websit for example.
And, now that I have listened to it, I agree the last one is kind of lame.
By
Gayle, at 3:02 p.m.
Better late then never?
We're not even in an election campaign Dan. I'd almost say we're early ;)
By
Oxford County Liberals, at 3:47 p.m.
Have not viewed but your desrciption makes it sound full of strong visual images - sounds well done. Good to see he is getting on top of things.
By
Jacques Beau Vert, at 4:16 p.m.
Sorry to be the contrarian here, but after watching that ad, I can't help but wonder...the Liberals kept their power keg dry for months and now this is the best they can do? The supposed nuance is lost on me. As I see it, the message here is that Dion is a decisive leader...on the environment. But that does nothing to correct the damage done by the Conservative attack ads.
By
thirstyrobot, at 5:49 p.m.
Not too bad. Although not as aggressive as they could be, probably best to go light at the moment and simply try to portray Dion more positively and then hit back harder during the election. We don't have as large a war chest as the Tories so lets spend our money strategically, not waste it.
By
Monkey Loves to Fight, at 7:27 p.m.
I like the TV ad; focussed on presenting the Liberals positively, rather than sling mud, with some good images.
By
IslandLiberal, at 8:18 p.m.
I believe he said "decided" or something like that towards the end. Beyond that your guess is as good as mine.
This dog don't hunt, folks. Time to look beyond.
By
Dr. Strangelove, at 9:43 p.m.
Picking up on what Miles said, the Liberals can't afford to waste money on ads unless there's some kind of return on investment. I see nothing accomplished in this ad. The only people is does satisfy are those who currently intend to vote red. But that's not how elections are won, especially given the precarious state of Liberal support in recent months.
By
thirstyrobot, at 10:11 p.m.
Why should Harper have done it either, robot?
Because this isn't an campaign issue, but a general perception issue. Sometimes you have to manage the brand, and this ad actually did it quite well.
(And as for "satisfying people who are already going to vote red"... who seriously believes that politicians never play to the base? Somehow, I doubt Citizen Robot there would have said the same thing about Harper.)
By
Demosthenes, at 1:10 a.m.
I really like that TV ad. Though it is about the environment (something that, while important, we cannot afford to become a one-issue party in the mind of the public over), it clearly shows Dion as a leader. For that reason I like it.
However, I still must confess that I don't like Dion as leader, and I don't think the Liberals will/can win an election with him leading the party.
But I've been wrong before.
By
Brandon E. Beasley, at 2:41 a.m.
Cute...
By
fair sailing, at 6:16 a.m.
Good ads overall.
I think it was important to respond and it was overdue.
In politics you can't let your adversaries attack you on an ongoing basis and never reply.
The recent poll data is evidence of that.
Someone has to advise Dion that it is O.K. to attack Harper.
At some point, we are going to have to do that and there is a lot of ammunition.
He has a long history of not getting along with people and is not one for consultation.
Are Canadians ready for a leader with a dictatorial leadership style?
By
Down & Out in L A, at 10:24 a.m.
Fantastic!!
I agree, that's the best TV ad I've seen, and the perfect rebuttal to "Dion is not a leader." Well done!
Of course, it was strange hearing Dion, of all people, saying we have to stop playing the blame game (on the environment)!
By
Robert Vollman, at 10:58 a.m.
President by default of another UN talk-shop that has yet to actually demonstrate tangible results. Wasn't that also the conference that inspired Paul Martin's "global conscience" speech?
Nobody elected Dion to that particular presidency, much like this country will hopefully never elect him to 24 Sussex. Optics are nice, but when you dig behind the facade, the actual record is far less rosy.
By
RGM, at 12:22 p.m.
You're missing the point rgm. It's perception that matters, not reality. That ad gives the perception that Dion is a great leader. Just like the Tory ads before gave the perception that he wasn't.
Reality is somewhere in between, and isn't really relevant. :)
By
Robert Vollman, at 5:45 p.m.
The apparent message of this ad is that Dion is a leader...on the environment. And that's the problem. It completely misses the opportunity to undo the damage of those attack ads. I'd even go so far as to say that for some the Liberal spot confirms the suspicions raised in the previous ad.
I'll respond only once to Demo's remarks. Give your head a shake, friend. An attack ad is an ugly, crude and annoying tool. But if it's effective in meeting an objective--and it seems this one certainly was in neutralizing Dion--then the point is moot about whether it should have been done.
In terms of objectives, the same cannot be said of the Liberal ad. This is not the time for feel-good ads to make Liberals happy about their leader. They need to grow their support, set the record straight and make it clear that their guy is not defined by a single-issue (i.e., the environment).
By
thirstyrobot, at 9:26 a.m.
Robert,
I suppose that to some folks, maybe style does trump substance. Not from this quarter, though.
By
RGM, at 12:08 p.m.
They spend money for this,the bad thing is they use the money of local budget.
By
satin shirt, at 8:37 a.m.
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