Centrerion Canadian Politics

CPC Ad Review

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(Cross posted at Decision Canada)

Entitlements:
This ad focuses on the Liberals as a corrupt party, and cites Gomery. It's boring, features "average Canadians" in a diner, and doesn't especially make the case for voting for the Liberals. This would make more sense if the CPC, Bloc, and NDP had shared the costs of this ad, but I have the feeling the other parties wouldn't be dumb enough to pay for something so bland. The only thing to be said for this is that it features a humorous clip of some (I assume) Liberal MP saying "I am entitled to my entitlement." It would have been a better ad if they'd just turned it into a roll of Liberal bloopers ...
1.5/10
They'll Go Neg
For starters, I'm as puzzled as you are by the name of this ad. They'll Go Neg? Negotiate? Next? If the CPC intends to foster our future development by supporting education, maybe they might start by having an English prof proofread their website.
Anyways, the ad features a black and white shot of Martin while some guy says the Liberals have been in power too long and are corrupt. WOOHOO, NEWSFLASH.
0/10
Change
This shares footage of the same "average Canadians" as the Entitlements ad. The CPC will work for all Canadians, not just those with connections, says the ad. This is about as intelligent and exciting as a battle to the death between earthworms.
0/10
Our Priorities
This abhorrent fake news studio interview style. Dull, fake, and the "newscaster" woman appears to be competing with the soldiers from the Nutcracker as to who can be more wooden... and losing. They at least come to life at one point of the ballet.
There are things to be done on health, cleaning up the government, cracking down on crime, cutting the GST. After another fake "person in the street" asks "how are you going to do it when the other guys didn't?", Harper answers that they're going to be honest (i.e. not the Liberals), and make use of practical, affordable initiatives that will actually be carried through (A shot at the gun registry that doesn't fight crime? Probably just a general remark insulting the Libs...).
Generally speaking, this ad actually says something positive, giving reasons why Canucks should vote for the Conservatives, stating the what and the how of the CPC platform. The shots at the Liberals are useless, and the format/style of the ad is garbage.
7.2/10 - For saying positive stuff, this gets an average grade, a passing 'C-' (no pun intended). For being dull and wasting valuable seconds of my life droning on about the Liberals, it gets no better.
Seniors
Style: Another news interview. joy.
Message: Public pensions will be protected, private ones will be taxed less, seniors will get the respect they deserve. They fought for our country, and deserve our care.
8/10 - Dull style, gets a positive message across with no disses aimed at the LPC. I don't know how they'll be having this air, but it seems like they'll need to target the right shows, because though most Canadians agree and want to support their seniors, I doubt it's a decisive issue for them.
Trades
Style: News ......
Message: Easier to apprentice, pay for the tools.
8.3/10 - A message with wider appeal, because it speaks to Canada's future economic prosperity. Need I say something about the style? The policy itself appears to be half-baked though, from what I understand, because the dollrs for tools aren't enough to buy much. I didn't include that in my grade, because that would be appropriate in a policy review, and this is an ad review. More on that here.
Childcare
Style: News. The wording of the question reinforces what I said about how obviously fake and cheesy these ads are. After Harper says the CPC believes in a choice, a woman carrying a baby asks "Well, I want to know what you're going to do." A real newscast wouldn't have had the mother know what was just said. Bleh.
Message: Choice for parents. 100$ a month for daycare, babysitter, or help parent stay home.
7.8/10 - I don't know how broad the audience for childcare policy annoucements is, but at any rate, it can't have been impressed by this ad. The "choice" as to how to raise kids is a good point, but the dollars involved shows everyone just how half-baked this idea is. I did consider policy in reviewing this ad, because it was explicit in the ad.
Accountability
Style: News.
Message: The Liberals are corrupt ... and we're going to pass the Federal Accountability Act! It's "a real plan to clean up government."
8.6/10 - Finally! An ad that says what the Conservatives are going to do about corruption in government. Just telling Canadians that the Liberals are corrupt is boring and wastes our time. We know that! This is a diss but that actually says something meaningful, and appears to be the right way to attack the Liberals: with policy, not insults. If I were directing their ad campaign, I'd scrap anything that disses the Libs, and gives this ad the air time instead.
Taxes
Style: News
Message: Liberals been overtaxing everyone for 12 years, we're going to gradually cut the GST, which is good for working class Canadians (like the woman who asks "how about a tax cut that doesn't dissapear after the election?").
8.5/10 - Broadly popular message. My mom thinks it's BS though, because she recalls the Conservatives under Mulroney creating the GST to begin with, after promising not to. That was before I was born though, so I don't know what happened then. I'd say most Canadians like the idea, but it wouldn't be surprising if a large part of the populace was skeptical like my mom. No shots at the Libs, but still cheesy and dull.
Crime
Style: I can't type it again. I can't ...
Message: We'll ensure minimum sentences, end house arrest, make deported criminals actually leave.
8.2/10 - How many of us are going to be deciding our votes on this issue? The Conservatives have made it an issue, which is good strategy, but I frankly don't care all that much about whether or not criminals are in house arrest or in prison, so long as they're under arrest. Policy though, which is nice to hear.

All in all, the CPC ads are decent. The most recent ones are stupid, spiteful, and plain, and should be pulled off the air. The older ones state policy, but they're all in a grey style that's cheesy and patently fake. Furthermore, some of them show just how poorly thought through some of the policies are (when you pay a baby-sitter 30$ a night, you're not going to have her for 100$ a month, I hate to break it to you, Stephen), which obviously isn't to the Conservatives' advantage. The post- New Year's attack ads suck. The real ad-scam of this election is how much the CPC paid for those pieces ...
I'd review the Liberal ads, but like I've said before, they don't load on my pc (or at least, after 3 minutes of waiting, I grew impatient ... the CPC ads load in seconds, which I guess is something in their favour).

posted by lecentre @ 7:24 p.m.