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I’m going to break this ad down:
1. The “Approval”
Alot of people don’t pay attention to the “approval” message when watching an ad. But think about how just this little tidbit affects viewers. The picture is of Obama talking to an older woman, surrounded by a group of others. The look on her face is happy. She wants to talk to him, and she looks to be enjoying the conversation (Obama is a good, welcoming man). Obama’s facial expression portrays that he is intently listening to this woman (Obama pays attention to what the people want).
2. “Struggling to pay mortgage…”
The shot is of a young girl dismounting her bike and going inside to meet her parent. It’s a good portrayal of middle-class America. Meanwhile, in the background, the narrator is talking about an issue that’s important to this specific group: paying off a mortgage.
3. McCain and his “strong fundamentals”
The following sequence is of McCain speaking in an interview, with a quote of his plastered over top saying, “the fundamentals of our economy are strong”. After this, a house with a forclosure sign is presented, hilighting the recent problem in the real estate market (side-note: you wouldn’t BELIEVE how difficult it is to sell a house anymore). The narrator then huffs, “Hm”.
This entire segment is designed to make the viewer believe that McCain is not paying attention to homeowners and the real estate problem. The narrator’s disapproval with a “Hm” was a particularly nice touch. It sounds strange, but it really makes the viewer feel more connected to this disembodied voice, mainly by the informality of it all.
4. McCain’s houses
The rest of the ad was pretty much a setup for this one piece of info. After going over the problems associated with middle-class homeowners, the narrator sends us a sucker punch in the form of McCain’s $13 million homes. “7?!”, the audience gasps. “And not only that! He couldn’t even remember all of them!” Now the viewers feel even more forgotten by McCain.
5. The Punch Line
The commercial then flows smoothly into an almost-joke:
“…Here’s ONE house we can’t afford to let John McCain move into.”
Har-har.
Overall, the ad is well constructed. It’s mainly aimed at middle-class homeowners, but can work for a broader audience as well (particularly because of the shocking “7 houses” comment).
I was getting the same vibe as you, M. This does seem to be an almost joke-like set up and delivery. Albeit not a very funny one, hah.
I see an almost generational divide being put in play in this ad. We have the struggling (a very popular word to use in relation to voters) middle class, the young home owners, and the providers for families. But then we have John McCain, the old man with 7 houses. Such a stark contrast is built up here! There is some nine somber piano music playing in the background to help get the point across. Definitely an effective ad when used to try to distance people form McCain.
Yet at the same time, the context under which McCain spoke is not disclosed here. From just viewing this ad, we are given no sources as to why McCain has 7 houses.
One trait I see in almost all of these ads is the ruthlessness put in play. It seems most of the time that the opposing candidate is made out to be a deceiver, elitist and a money grubber!
The battle of the mudslingers has indeed commenced, good sir.