Jophiel wrote:
gbaji wrote:
I'm sorry. I should have learned by now that you guys love to ignore context. There were no cars being advertised in the commercial. Therefore, it wasn't a car commercial.
That's right. It was a Chrysler commercial. They were selling the brand, not a specific model of vehicle. Primarily, "Please continue thinking of Chrysler as an American brand and here's some feel good America stuff."
Except that the name Chrysler was never mentioned in the ad. No cars they make were mentioned by name. You saw cars, but only got a glimpse or two of their brands. There was nearly no logo or other recognizable brand imaging in the entire ad until the very very end when it fades to black and they quickly toss up a list of brands in relatively small print.
It was an ad about America. It was an add about American recovery. And it connected that recovery to the recovery in the Detroit auto industry. Now which politician has campaigned in the past (and will certainly do again as this year progresses) on the success of the auto bailout as part of his "jobs created or saved" spiel? Wait! That's Obama. Which politician is seeking a "second half" for his presidency? Yup. Obama again.
The ad doesn't have to say "support Obama" to be political. It only needs to associate things that Obama associates himself with in positive ways. And this commercial does that in spades. Every time Obama mentions Detroit as an example of how the types of programs he supports work, the audience will view that just a bit more positively on average because of this ad. Some might even remember the ad directly, nod and think "Yeah. Clint Eastwood said this was a good thing". That's how this ad is political. It can't not be. Unless Obama never brings up Detroit and the auto industry bail out during his campaign that is. And what do you think the odds are of that happening?
For those still confused, here's the transcript of the ad:
Quote:
It’s halftime. Both teams are in their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half.
It’s halftime in America, too. People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game.
The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again.
I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life. And, times when we didn’t understand each other. It seems like we’ve lost our heart at times. When the fog of division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead.
But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right, and acted as one. Because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.
All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And, how do we win?
Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And, what’s true about them is true about all of us.
This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines. Yeah, it’s halftime America. And, our second half is about to begin.
Add the images to this, and it's a powerful campaign ad for Obama. Just because Eastwood didn't realize it doesn't make it any less true. Again, you can absolutely count on Obama using the very images and ideas in this ad during his campaign. And every time he does, you should think of this and realize that I told you so.
Edited, Feb 9th 2012 6:43pm by gbaji