The new Dipper and Tory and Grit ads (updated thrice)

— 05.25.2015 08:48 AM

The NDP ignores Trudeau, the CPC one is mainly about him.  The Dipper spot tries to be positive, the CPC spot is less preoccupied with all that, but isn’t very mean.  The Liberal one, appended at the end? It’s okay.

All three, however, strongly suggest the election campaign is underway.

First, Team Orange:

 

  • It’s not bad, but it isn’t particularly great, either. You forget about it a minute after you watch it.
  • The visuals are the kind of stuff political backroomers love – working classy, ethnic diverse-ness, slice of life, blah blah blah. Not original.
  • The soundtrack riff is a direct steal from the Menzingers’ ‘The Obituaries,’ which features the “F” word about a million times.
  • At the end, you can see they struggled with what to do with what to do with Angry Tom. Tie? No tie? Tie loosened? Jacket? No jacket, sleeves? No jacket, sleeves rolled up? Hmm.
  • In the end, his look and demeanour and surroundings reminded me of Assistant Principal Vernon in The Breakfast Club. Not good.

The Blue Crew, meanwhile, have leaked their latest offering…but no one has a link except John Ivison. Interesting strategy.

Anyway, what John tells us about the ad reflects what many hacks already know about the research: no one dislikes Justin Trudeau – it’s just that no one thinks he’s ready to be Prime Minister. (In focus groups, anyway.)

The structure of the ad – diverse group of Canadians passing judgment on the Liberal leader – recalls the Muttart-era “Entitled to my entitlements” diner spot, which was seared on our collective consciousness through a gazillion repetitions back in 2005-2006.

The Harper part sounds like what I had figured would always be his 2015 writ narrative: “Hey, look. They said I’d wreck the place, and do all kinds of radical stuff, and I didn’t. We got through some tough times, we’re keeping folks safe. Oh, and Justin? I like him, too. He’s just not ready.”

If anyone gets a link, please send along. I couldn’t find it anywhere (beyond John’s column, that is). But I suspect that, when I see it, my assessment won’t change too much.

UPDATE: And here it is! (Thanks, folks.)

My take:

  • These guys love research! The statements made by the actors in this ad are taken directly from actual statements made by actual Canadians in actual focus groups!
  • Actually, when you are assessing the ad for yourself, keep that in mind – this may not be what you are saying, but it is what your neighbors are saying. Important.
  • I think the ad will work.  Expect to see it in heavy rotation, boys and girls!

UPDATER: Um, oops.

UPDATEST: And here is the Liberal ad. Same sort of diversity/middle class/family stuff we see in the other ones. Not bad, but not great.


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Canada Post: for a few bucks, we’ll help promote racism, anti-Semitism and pedophilia

— 05.22.2015 05:41 PM

That’s right, pedophilia. In their April issue, Sears and his fellow neo-Nazis published an article that made light of the sexual abuse of children. By any reasonable standard, that’s a crime. Why isn’t Canada Post – or the government that oversees it – doing something about this?

From the Canadian Jewish News, today:

“Warren Kinsella, a lawyer and author of Web of Hate, a look at the extremist right in Canada, said he and other residents of the east end have started a website called www.Canadiansagainstprejudice.com to oppose the message of the newsletter.

The site lists Your Ward News advertisers and asks if they know what kind of newsletter they are supporting.
Kinsella said he has been in touch with Canada Post, which continues to be paid to distribute the magazine, despite examining its content. “They don’t seem to care at all,” he said.

Canada Post did not respond to a query prior to The CJN’s deadline, but the Toronto Star quoted a Canada Post spokesperson as saying that Your Ward News did not meet the standard for “non-mailable matter.”


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My ride to see Mad Max

— 05.20.2015 08:38 PM

…which, by the by, is indeed a subversive, seductive, smart feminist action film. And all the better because of it. 

I love this little car. It wouldn’t last long on the journey across the Mad Max wasteland, but it would look awesome as we did so. 

             Beep beep. I love my yellow Beetle, I do…


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I rise to oppose the motion by my honourable colleague from Den Tandt

— 05.20.2015 08:44 AM

Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member from the riding of Den Tandt has caused to be published the following:

“There is one obvious way for Trudeau to leap this ditch, though it carries risk…He could speak repeatedly and off the cuff with authenticity and wit, scrumming until reporters are tired of the sound of his voice. All summer long, he could wade into town halls and other unscripted settings, giving the lie to the most damaging point in the narrative prepared for him by his opponents, which is that he’s in over his head.”

Mr. Speaker, with the greatest of respect to the Honourable Member, that is a proven formula for disaster.  The only people who will approve of this strategy, Mr. Speaker, are the esteemed members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, who (a) are forever telling politicians to speak without notes (b) so that said politician will say something unhelpful, and the esteemed members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery will have more to write about.

Instead, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada needs to do ten things.  Here, Mr. Speaker, are those ten things.

1. Stop talking about the “middle class.” No one knows who the middle class is, but everyone knows Mr. Trudeau has never been part of the middle class.

2. Start talking about ideas.  Don’t wait until the writ period. The Tories and the Dippers repeatedly insist Mr. Trudeau has none, that he is an empty vessel.  Show voters that the Grit’s detractors are wrong.

3. The ideas need not be big.  They should, instead, be small.  No one believes anymore that government can solve big problems – so talk about smart, solid, smallish ideas that seem do-able.  Talk about things we can and should change.

4. Look, and sound, older.  Mr. Trudeau looks and sounds too young to be Prime Minister. His voice needs to be deeper; his style of dress, less stylish; his deportment, more statesmanlike.

5. We re-emphasize point 4. Barack Obama knew that what middle America fears most is the Angry Black Man – so he built a successful political career on never being the Angry Black Man.  Canadian voters, similarly, wonder if Mr. Trudeau is Richie Rich – too young, too callow, too well-off, etc. Mr. Trudeau needs to play against type.

6. Undersell and over perform: it is the Chretien maxim.  Whenever Team Trudeau come up with a good idea, senior staff rush to claim credit for it in anonymous insider stories.  Whenever something bad happens, they whisper to the media that their boss had “gone off the script.” These things need to be reversed: if something bad happens, it is staff’s fault.  Something good? Mr. Trudeau thought of it.

7. Stop answering hypothetical questions.

8. Stop advertising strategy in the newspapers, too, Mr. Speaker. If you do that, your opponent will read all about your strategy in the morning paper, gratis, and use it to beat you on Election Day.

9. Reach out to Liberals who are past the age of 40.  The Liberal Party of Canada used to be the most successful political machine in Western democracy – and those older folks were the principal reason for that.  Reach out to them.  They have some useful perspectives to offer.

10. Don’t throw away the script. Don’t, Mr. Speaker.  The Prime Minister taunted Mr. Trudeau about “the script” because he, along with the Press Gallery, want the Liberal leader to talk first, and think later.  Don’t do it.

Simply talk about smart, do-able ideas, over and over. Don’t talk about the hypothetical things that the media and the Tories and the Dippers want you to talk about. Talk about ideas, and how to make a great country even greater. Sound and look a grown-up when you do it.  Fire any staff who appear in “strategist” profile stories: those staffers don’t have their names on the ballot, Mr. Trudeau does.

Be humble.  Be sincere. Always tell the truth, and only talk about what you know.  In that way, you can never go wrong.

And prepare, prepare, prepare – but make it sound like it all comes effortlessly from your heart, and your head.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.  Vive le Canada.


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