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Attack and appeal: new Liberal ads

With the looming threat of an election call (well, unless one of the opposition parties backs down, which is growing less likely by the day), the Liberals have released two television ads that will go live tomorrow. They are two very different ads.

The first is a fairly standard attack ad that goes after the government’s abuse of power using the slogan “Is this your Canada or Harper’s?” While there is no verbal attack on Harper personally, the graphic use of the terms “abuse,” “deceit” and “contempt” reinforces a negative image of him. The decision to use a female voiceover (instead of the usual ominous male voice) is of note. Is this an attempt to appeal to those disaffected female voters the Liberals are targeting?

The other is a different beast entirely. In a direct appeal by Ignatieff, the ad covers the economy, pensions, healthcare and jobs. Although it doesn’t go into details of the Liberal platform (it does direct viewers to their website, where presumably there is more information), unlike your standard attack ad, it does tell viewers a little more about what the party stands for.

Remember that analyzing and deconstructing these kinds of advertisements is key to spin control. It’s an exercise we should all engage in more often as the election campaign unfolds.
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