Ad AnalysisAbbe Depretis, University of Maryland Bush/Cheney "Agenda"
Ad Context“Agenda” is the first of three positive ads outlining President Bush's “plan for a safer world and more hopeful America .” The ad appeared just after the Republican National Convention to “highlight” specific parts of the President's speech. http://www.georgewbush.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=3423 Towards the end of “Agenda,” a picture of the “ Agenda For America; A Plan For A Safer World And More Hopeful America” book is shown, which was released just after the President's Convention speech along with a website entitled “Agenda for America .” The book is available on-line and is broken down into five chapters, “Creating Opportunity for American Workers,” “Helping American Families in a Changing World,” “Promoting an Era of Ownership,” “Defending American Lives and Liberty,” and “Supporting our Communities and Honoring American Values of Compassion and Service.” The “Agenda” ad touches upon Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of this book. http://www.agendaforamerica.com This ad addresses issues raised in Kerry campaign ads, which attacked Bush's economic and healthcare policies as being inadequate and benefiting only the rich. Specifically, the “Time” ad released by the Kerry campaign on September 2 attacks Bush for sending jobs overseas and not focusing on the economy at home. George W. Bush has an advantage over Kerry in that he is able to learn from the advertising rewards and mistakes of his father. In the 1992 general election, President George H. W. Bush released his “Agenda” ad which outlined his plans for the future. The 1992 ad was in response to claims that the elder Bush was responsible for the negative tone that the election and the campaigns had taken (West 25). George W. Bush released his “Agenda” ad much earlier than his father (September 7 versus October 22) perhaps in an effort to curb similar attacks against his campaign. Ad Assumptions The major assumption that this ad makes is that President Bush will be reelected for another term. He discusses issues in this ad without acknowledging the idea that he may not win the election. The ad outlines his plans for his next term and assumes that he will be in office to enact them. He also plays on the fact that he was President during one of the most tragic occurrences in United States history: September 11. The ad assumes that the tragedy has united Americans and that “we,” the American people, and President Bush, must all work together to make the United States stronger. Bush Speaks with UsThe “Agenda” ad features narration by George W. Bush only. The ad is almost a mini-speech, taking pieces of one of his speeches and fusing them together in a thirty-second spot. When discussing his plans, he says that “we” must work together, “we” must strengthen our economy, “we” must end junk lawsuits. By narrating the ad himself he is able to bring the viewers of the ad into the process as well. As Nelson and Boynton point out, when narration is performed by the candidate himself, “he has an authority that no observer can have” (105). He is able to outline his plans in his own words, and to convey his excitement for the future. President Bush exudes enthusiasm more so than a narrator would be able to express. The Images and Music of the President's “Agenda”The visual images in the ad combine the past, the present, and the future. The ad begins with an image of the American flag, but instead of the classic red, white, and blue colors, the image has a sepia tone, expressing a nostalgic connotation that combines with the deep-rooted symbolism of the flag. The flag stays in the background throughout the entire ad, serving as a frame for the President and his achievements. The background images continue in this sepia hue, showing the achievements of George W. Bush in the past, and how far we have come in the last four years. The red, white, and blue colors play a part in the foreground images, which include the President, the words from his speech, and the “Agenda for America ” book. The classic American colors emphasize the possibilities for the future with George W. Bush as President. It is also important to note that the ad features many diverse groups of Americans. African-Americans, women, doctors, waitresses, business people, construction workers, teachers, and others play important roles in the background images of the ad. This is important because it shows that Bush's plans include all Americans, a response to attacks that he is only interested in aiding the wealthy. According to West, “Advertisers have found that memory of a message is greatly enhanced by combining visual text with spoken words and descriptive images” (8). It appears that the Bush campaign knows this, and therefore uses visual text as well as photos to enhance their message. The ad begins with a general audio statement that “We have come through a lot together.” The image in the background is of a small business, but quickly switches to the colorful image of the President. Each time a point is outlined, the image switches from the President to visual text of the point in the foreground, and the image of Bush's plan being successfully implemented in the background. For example, the President says, “ We must allow small employers to join together to purchase insurance.” Directly after this statement, the word “Insurance” pops up on the screen, then a line that leads to the words “For Small Businesses.” The image in the background is of what we can assume is a small business owner making a telephone call, and then switches to a construction foreman pointing to the top of what must be a large project. Uniquely, all of the images in the ad move from left to right across the television screen, flowing quickly and seamlessly from one image to the next. The President's image is used to transition each new background image and each new point. This editing serves to emphasize the enthusiastic narration and the promise of moving forward quickly with the President's proposals. The music and sound effects of the ad also play a crucial role in conveying its positive message. The ad begins with the sound of roaring applause, stressing the support of the President. The applause then fades into an upbeat melody that has a quick tempo, again emphasizing eagerness and a positive message. The music has a classical tone as well, sending a sophisticated message about the President. As the ad comes to an end, so does the music; a picture of the “Agenda for America ” book is then featured, showing that all of the answers for America are contained within its pages.
Who Is Talking About the Ad and the Issue Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post said, “The current exchanges, with Kerry on the attack and Bush staying positive, amount to a role reversal from the past six months, when the bulk of the president's advertising was aimed at demolishing Kerry's record.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60322-2004Sep3.html In the Online News Hour by PBS.org Terence Smith and Kathleen Hall Jamieson said, TERENCE SMITH: “Kathleen Hall Jamieson, that's drawing directly on of course the agenda that the president laid out in his acceptance speech in New York at the Republican Convention, and the themes he has been hitting again and again. And that certainly sounds positive, does it not?” KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: “Yes, and the most effective advertising reinforces themes that are already out there. A campaign whose message is consistent is much more likely to be a winning campaign. This ad begins by reminding us that we have been through a lot together; the implication being that if you are not happy with the way things are, blame the terrorist attack. It's not my responsibility -- and then by weaving the flag throughout the rest of the ad, holds that terrorism's security image in place even as it hits the themes that forecast the next four years for the Bush agenda. And all sorts of nice positive words appear on the screen: jobs, ownership. You also see at the end, the agenda that the Bush campaign offers you in print form with a web address: The implication being there's a lot more substance that we have; we can't give it to you in the ad but if you go to the web address or get our book, you're going to find it. And Bush throughout the ad is moving from a stump speech through America . You see middle America interjected throughout the ad. And at the end, he is back in the Oval Office.”
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