Ad Watch: My name is Steve and I AM CANADIAN
The Conservatives roll out positive ads that tout, among other things, the role Stephen Harper played in winning World War 2 and the Summit Series.
It is, without a doubt, the most cliche-filled ad to ever grace the airwaves, but that doesn't mean it won't work. It will make Canadians feel good about themselves and, by extension, Harper. Having the "courageous warrior and compassionate neighbour" line play as Harper is shown on screen is a nice touch.
Labels: Ads
posted by calgarygrit at
8:00 a.m.
13 Comments:
I wonder if someone was to do a fact check on the periods involved...would they be surprised to see that a LPC government was in power for much of those events.
By
Anonymous, at 8:18 a.m.
I gave it a B. Even though it's only filled with fluff at least it's not a negative ad.
By
Traciatim, at 9:17 a.m.
It was a good ad in that like a Tim Hortons or Molson Canadian commercial it made me feel a unique sense my Canadian identity. It also told me nothing about the Conservative Party or where they stand on the issues which to be honest very few political ads do. I also found it's an ad I'd likely stay to watch like an ING Direct ad which for some reason always keeps me planted on the couch. I gave it an A overall.
By
Dave Roberts, at 9:30 a.m.
This is better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6hDv6gCe1I&feature=youtu.be
By
Anonymous, at 10:12 a.m.
Coming this summer - Stephen Harper: The Movie.
By
CJS, at 10:50 a.m.
Interestingly enough CG, your title to the post is exactly the message the ad is meant to get across. You, inadvertently or not, just moved it from the subconscious to the conscious (not sure I got the spelling right there, but you know what I subconsciously mean...).
In that way, like it or not, it's a very effective ad.
By
Anonymous, at 11:20 a.m.
I have to say that to me as a first generation immigrant, "Canada ... has always been our country" is a very weird line.
Sadly, I don't think it's the First Nations vote that Harper is courting with it.
By
Leo, at 12:06 p.m.
I like the ad, although I have heard a number of people charge plagiarism because it is similar to an ad Pawlenty ran around January (maybe the way to get candidates to stop running negative ads is to trademark unflattering closeups and sinister music). Some of more over-the-top critics have tried to draw a tea party link, although I don't think it would be accurate to characterize Pawlenty as a tea party guy.
By
french wedding cat, at 12:07 p.m.
I was tainted by watching the Liberal comparison of this with the Pawlenty ad that hosertohoosier mentioned. The obsession with "freedom" in the USA ad and over-the-top displays of military might lean me toward calling him a tea partier, or at the very least he was trying to court them - something that I don't consider Canadian.
By
Ian, at 12:11 p.m.
I'd say they are both drawing from Michael Bay films, to be honest - although there is a bit of Trudeauesque "the land is strong" in the Harper ad.
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french wedding cat, at 12:27 p.m.
I feel like the Harper arrogance stuff is starting to stick - the rally screenings, the one-on-one debate clusterfk... I'm not sure the Cult of Harper is going to look like a winning strategy to the CPC in a week. And if I'm right about that, this ad becomes worse than useless to them.
Any cabinet ministers in that crowd shot?
By
Don, at 3:43 p.m.
The Harper ad and Pawlenty ad are similar - like mentioned above, they have a movie trailer action movie feel to them.
But it's not like political ads are ever that original. It's hard to really care if Harper's is similar to another politician's.
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calgarygrit, at 4:11 p.m.
I wonder if it has to do with the strategist or even ad agencies. In the case of ad agencies they usually use focus groups and use whatever works well so if it worked well in focus group for Pawlenty why would it be that different for Harper.
By
Miles Lunn, at 11:31 p.m.
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