AD COMPARISON CHART

OBAMA CAMPAIGN
Ad Title: 47 Percent
What do you see in
the
commercial?
Describe images or
text.

What do you hear in

the commercial?
Describe voices,
music, background
sound effects.

47 Percent begins by introducing what looks to be several people

chosen to participate in the creation of a commercial. They are given an
iPad to watch a closed-captioned clip of Mitt Romney speaking about the
forty-seven percent of Americans who will vote for Obama because they
are victims who feel entitled to handouts from the government. As the
video plays, the camera switches its views from each person to show
their reactions, which are mostly of disbelief, disgust, and the like. Then,
they
are given time
to mischievous-sounding
express their individualmusic,
reactions
and
opinions
of
The commercial
plays
which
sets
a curious
mood for what is to come in the video. In Mitt Romneys discussion, the
audience can hear that he is describing his distaste for the forty-seven
percent who will vote for the current president. He speaks poorly of them
and goes on to state that he will not bother to appeal or reach out to
them. However, the featured dialogue from the Americans in the video is
what really brings the impact of this advertisement. These people
verbally disagree with what Romney states in his clip, saying that they
are not the victims that he has described forty-seven percent of
Americans
be. They have
taken
offense
to what
he saidthis
and
Commercialtoproducers
wanted
the great
audience
to finish
watching

What do you think the

commercial producers advertisement with a negative taste for Romney. The goal was to offend
the viewer so that they would feel repulsion for Romney, as well as
want you to feel or
think? What makes you skepticism as to what kind of president he would be. I also noticed that
say this?

Do you think the ad is

effective? Why or why
not?

the commercial showed the opinions of four different women, but only
one man. While I might be overanalyzing the situation, I feel that the
commercial producers purposely used more of the womens opinions
because
they were strongly
as opposed
to the appealed
mans. to the
This advertisement
was veryexpressed
effective because
it greatly
emotional side of the audiences mind. Its use of the Mitt Romneys
discussion clip showed a bad side of Romney and gave off the
impression that he had already given up on forty-seven percent of
Americans. This, along with the fact that Romney had spoken poorly of
that specific forty-seven percent, was already enough to bring upon a
negative reaction. Also, the expressed opinions of the people who
watched the clip furthered that response. They each made statements

Ad Title: Understands
What do you see in
the
commercial?
Describe images or
text.

Understands begins with the introduction of Joe Soptic, who seems to

be a distressed American citizen. The scene cuts quickly to a photograph
of Mitt Romney with a quote that states: Mitt Romney and Bain Capital
made millions for themselves and then closed this steel plant. The
video continues to show gloomy and shadow-casted clips of buildings
and a new caption that says, Joe eventually found work as a custodian.
The job paid less than half his previous salary.

What do you hear in

the commercial?
Describe voices,
music, background
sound effects.

The commercial utilizes sad and emotionally appealing music that

features a piano theme in a minor key and background pads to create a
further depressing ambience. The music is obviously written to create an
unhappy setting for the video. Joe Soptic, the featured man of the
advertisement, speaks with a low and fraught tone as he describes the
loss of his job and his wife. The only other voice that is featured is that of
the narrator,
whoproducers
states at wanted
the end to
of make
the video
that Priorities
USA Action
The
commercial
a monster
out of Mitt

What do you think the

commercial producers Romney. They wanted to give the audience the impression that he was a
selfish person who did not care about the needs of the American people.
want you to feel or
think? What makes you In order to portray this side of Romney, the commercial producers
say this?

Do you think the ad is

effective? Why or why
not?

displayed a quote that described how he had made millions by shutting

down a steel plant that had provided jobs for people like Joe Soptic. They
accentuated the downfall of Soptics life when the video continued to
explain how Soptic not only lost his job but his family as well when his
wife passed away from lack of affordable treatment. Soptics story, as
well as the downcast mood that the music and clips created, made the
The advertisement is definitely effective. Similar to the previous
advertisement 47 Percent, this advertisement appeals to the
emotional side of the audience. Appealing to emotion is the easiest way
to overtake the logical side of the mind. The audience was able to see
Joe Soptics despair, which resulted from Mitt Romneys selfish actions
and greed for money. Because of Soptics story, the audience is less
likely to want to vote for Romney because of the bad light that he is

ROMNEY CAMPAIGN
Ad Title: Cancer
What do you see in
the
commercial?
Describe images or
text.

What do you hear in

the commercial?
Describe voices,
music, background
sound effects.

The commercial Cancer starts out with clips of Obama give speeches
about the wrongdoings of political battles. A caption appears with the
text, That was then and now? and is followed by a scene from the
Obamas advertisement Understands. Then, a televised interview
plays that features Obamas deputy campaign manager, and zooms in to
her uncomfortable expression when asked about how the Understands
advertisement accuses Romney of a womans death. After this, several
quotes appear that explain how Obamas campaign team was obviously
involved and affiliated with Priorities USA Action. The commercial ends
with a quote describing that Obama needs to live up to his own words
and
that
the PACsaying
advertisements
anything
A clip
of Obama
to put anshould
end tobe
thedenounced,
politics thataswould
divide a

nation just to win an election and that he walks the walk. A televised
news station describes that Obama pinned the death of a woman on
Romney, while his deputy campaign manager states that Obama and his
team have nothing to do with Priorities USA Action since they are not
allowed to coordinate with them. This quote is repeated several times as
the video continues and other bits of evidence come about concerning
Obamas involvement with Priorities USA Action. Finally, you hear a
narrator describing that a daily-growing cancer is in the midst of the
president. Aside from what you hear, the background music gives a
The commercial producers wanted the audience to think of Obama as a
What do you think the
commercial producers liar who was dishonest about his association with an advertisement that
shed bad light on Romney. The commercial itself is filled with many
want you to feel or
think? What makes you examples of instances where Obama can be seen as a hypocrite. I
say this?
believe that the main purpose of Cancer was to convince the audience
that Obamas Understands advertisement was falsified. The majority
of the commercial talked about how Obamas campaign team was
indeed
involved with
Action.
The advertisement
is Priorities
effective USA
because
creates confusion for the
Do you think the ad is
effective? Why or why
not?

audience as to whether or not Obama is truly a hypocrite. In

Understands, Obama basically places Romney in fault of the downfall
of a mans life, what with losing his job and his wife. However, Romneys
Cancer advertisement shows contradictory evidence that Obamas
team states that they have no involvement with Priorities USA Action,
although the Understands advertisement was clearly made in

Ad Title: Why Would You Lie

What do you see in
the
commercial?
Describe images or
text.

Why Would You Lie starts out with an illustration of Obama with a
statement from Century Mine employees that "there are numerous false
statements and absolute lies concerning our participation in the event..."
What is most significant is the header in huge capital letters that reads:
ABSOLUTE LIES. The Century Mine employees, depicted as a large
group of coal mine workers, are shown standing side by side and later at
Romneys campaign rally. Captions read that no one was forced to
attend, there are no attendance records, and there were no penalties
given. The ending features a small caption that the advertisement was

What do you hear in

the commercial?
Describe voices,
music, background
sound effects.

The commercial features minimal music, only slight piano music that
conveys a mysterious and chilling vibe. The commercial starts out with
the narrator saying absolute lies, which immediately sets the theme
for the overall advertisement. The narrator continues to describe that
Century Mine employees were not forced to attend Romneys campaign
rally, as previously stated by Obama. The coal miners defend their
position by saying that there is indeed a war on coal, which explains
why they wanted to protect their jobs. The commercial ends with a
miner
asking, Why
would you
lie about
the five hundred
working miners
The commercial
producers
wanted
the audience
to feel suspicion

What do you think the

commercial producers towards Obama. They create a mood of confusion when they place a
hypocritical viewpoint upon him. The producers include the Century Mine
want you to feel or
think? What makes you employees and their testimony that Obama was lying about the
say this?

apparent fact that they had only attended Romneys campaign rally
because they were forced to and would otherwise be penalized. The
commercial producers wanted the audience to think that Obama was a
dishonest man, and this was quite apparent in the way that the
advertisement
started
with
the immediate
narration of absolute
This
advertisement
is not
effective.
The advertisement
was a littlelies.

Do you think the ad is

effective? Why or why
not?

confusing to follow along with since I was unaware of Obamas

statement about the coal miners being forced to attend Romneys
campaign rally. This would have been more effective if the commercial
had played a clip of Obamas exact words portraying the situation.
Without that specific evidence, it is easy to bend other peoples words
and put them in harsh light, which is what I believe that this

Chart from:

learning.blogs.nytimes.com