AD CONTEXT

Released in conjunction with his “My Dad” advertisement, “Mom” and “My Dad” represent O'Malley's second and third ads in the 2006 Maryland gubernatorial race. Like “My Dad,” O'Malley's “Mom” functions primarily to emphasize O'Malley's character. Released relatively early in the election cycle, these two ads can be read as introductory texts serving as the means by which voters can become acquainted with Martin O'Malley, the candidate. As “Mom” is not advancing any issue arguments or attacking the incumbent ( Maryland governor Bob Ehrlich), this early ad precedes most of the heated exchanges between the candidates that are likely to appear later in the election cycle.

AD ASSUMPTIONS

This 30 biospot constructs metaphorical arguments that position Martin O'Malley's life as an inevitable path toward the governorship of Maryland. Nelson and Boynton (1997) introduce the biospot as a biographical ad spotlighting the profile of a candidate. The “Mom” biospot moves from depicting Martin O'Malley as the “good son” to “caring father” and ultimately to “father of the state”— the governor of Maryland. The chronological narrative functions as the vehicle by which the ad moves O'Malley from the image of son, to father, and, incontrovertibly, to Maryland 's governor. This biospot, like George H.W. Bush's “Oath of Office” ad during the 1988 campaign (Nelson and Boynton, 1997), depicts O'Malley on an indivertible trajectory towards the governor's mansion.

While the rhetorical maneuvers of this ad are interesting to consider, this analysis will concern itself primarily with the non-discursive aspects of the ad. As scholar Mitchell Stephens (1998) claims, arguments advanced via images are potentially more powerful than those advanced with words. Likewise, Nelson and Boynton (1997) corroborate this claim by asserting that “the visual and aural dominate the verbal aspects of ad” (p. 31). Given the emphasis placed on these elements, the analysis will seek to facilitate an enhanced understanding of the visual setting, camerawork, and sound in O'Malley's “Mom” spot as well as address potential consequences for such constructions of meaning.

THE VISUAL SETTING

The visuals that accompany the script of this ad are best understood as falling into two distinct categories: those that form the immediate setting and those that are presented as family photographs.

The ad is filmed in a living room or family room setting, connoting images commonly associated with family life. The first seven seconds and the last eleven seconds of the ad take place in the same location. This environment is artfully created by the inclusion of framed family photographs, rich mahogany furniture, bright light filtering in through gauzy curtains, and the plush couch upon which Martin O'Malley and his mother are seated. This setting communicates an inviting atmosphere, one where a neighbor might be welcomed to join an informal conversation with the gubernatorial candidate.

Within these first few seconds of the spot, the setting works to connote feelings of warmth, comfort, love, and safety through its reliance on generic appeals concerning family. Given the short time span of the spot, meaning construction must be condensed by utilizing generic conventions and appeals (Nelson and Boynton 1997). The ad thus relies on the genre of family life, where “recurrent rhythms of meanings” are readily familiar and can be transferred to the biospot quickly (Nelson and Boynton, 1997, p. 11). Thus, the setting, like the other visual components of the ad, help facilitate meaning through its reliance on familiar generic features of family life.

CAMERAWORK

The scenes in the living room/family room setting also are defined by the viewer's proximity to the candidate and his mother, which furthers an atmosphere of intimacy. In these scenes, the shot is only wide enough to include the O'Malley's and a few elements of the home décor. Even the first shot, which appears at the farthest distance from the O'Malley's, only provides us the opportunity to see the family members from the waist up as they sit on the couch. Through the course of the ad, the camera zooms toward the family, putting us in even closer proximity to the candidate, his mother, and his wife. The decreased proximity coincides with the increased disclosure of the candidate.

Arguably, the closer one is positioned to the candidate (physically) the closer (emotionally) one should feel toward him as “mediated proximity creates a sense of intimacy” (Parry-Giles, 2000, p. 215). The camera-induced proximity is enhanced by O'Malley's discussion about his upbringing and family life, furthering the aura of intimacy.

Images of intimacy are further enhanced by the spot's reliance on direct address. Direct address is conceptualized as occurring when “the subjects of the camera's gaze are looking back into the camera” (Parry-Giles & Parry-Giles, 2005, p. 14). Given the spatial relationship between the audience and the candidate, it is not surprising the Martin O'Malley stares directly into the camera while he narrates the ad from the living room/family room setting. Direct address also helps communicate feelings of trustworthiness (Kern, 1989), which is another common feature of the biospot.

The camera movement during the sequence of photographs is also significant in evoking the family metaphor and creating an intimate space. The pictures in the spot blur gently and indiscriminately into one another. Each one lingers on the screen just long enough for the camera to move up, down, or across the image. Comparable to the manner in which one would mull over pictures in a photo album, the camera moves at a leisurely pace. Because the audience is made to feel as if they are looking through the album of a dear friend or family member, a pervading sense of intimacy is reinforced.

SOUND

Sound in this advertisement also functions on two distinct levels: paravocalically and musically. When assessing the paravocalic component, we need to consider the pace, volume, and tone of the narration and their effect on the ad's message. In this ad, the primary narrator is Martin O'Malley himself. Throughout the spot, his voice is strong and confident. It is comes across as sincere and honest. Toward the end of the ad, there is a perceptible level of conviction in his voice as he speaks about the importance of family. His voice is loud and resounding, which when considered in conjunction with his tone, works to convey his own belief and assuredness in his statements.

The music in the background also functions generically and communicates the connotations of warmth and intimacy. Though just barely perceptible, the entire advertisement is underscored by soft piano music. It, too, is a generic convention, recognizable as the kind of music that would play during made-for-TV movies whenever a parent and child are having a heart-to-heart conversation. It's quite comparable to the type of score Nelson and Boynton (1997) would recognize as reserved for “compassionate care givers” (p. 143) given that “…the instrumentation is simple and intimate” and “the melody is quiet and sentimental” (p. 144). The score is so generic that it instantly works to cultivate sentimentality, re-enforcing the feelings of intimacy re-enforced by the camera work and other features of the ad.

CONSEQUENCES OF MEANING CONSTRUCTION IN “MOM”

MOTHERHOOD (AND FATHERHOOD) IN “MOM”

Interestingly, the title of the ad is rather misleading since the focus of this spot has little to do with Martin O'Malley's mother or the concept of motherhood. Rather, the ad is primarily focused on fatherhood. As previously explored, the ad is primarily concerned with selling Martin O'Malley as a father-figure. Indeed, the ad revolves around the theme of fatherhood (not motherhood). O'Malley speaks of how it was his father that imparted his sense of civic responsibility. The ad then shifts to focus on O'Malley as a father within his own family. Again, he is depicted as doing his best to transmit the lessons of his father to his children (as a father ). The unspoken part of the enthymeme positions Martin O'Malley as the father of Maryland residents. All of these rhetorical maneuvers seek to spotlight the power of fatherhood, suggesting very little about "Moms."

Martin O'Malley's mother's largest contribution to the ad is her physical presence as it helps serves as enabling mechanism for a conversation about character. Sitting silently until the last few seconds of the spot, O'Malley's mother's role is, largely, to be seen. She is important to the advertisement for the visual image she provides given that her presence also quickly cues the reader to summon the conventions of the genre of family narratives.

Aside from attuning the viewer to the generic conventions, his mother's presence has a second function. As family values are largely considered the domain of women, the presence of Mrs. O'Malley serves as the mechanism for Martin O'Malley's narration. Her physical presence becomes the vehicle which permits the candidate to speak on issues of the family, further evidencing his commitment to Marylanders' families given the physical presence of his own mother.

The primary duty of Martin O'Malley's mother, then, is to confirm the metaphorical argument Martin O'Malley is advancing—that the candidate's experiences as son and as father, prepare him to become the next father of the state—leading Maryland 's families over the next four years. The candidate's mother ultimately makes the implicit explicit with her closing line: "And that's just one reason Martin will be a terrific governor for you."

Baltimore Sun

In an article released shortly after “Mom” and “My Dad”, The Baltimore Sun ran a piece examining the role of the candidate's family in political advertisements. Specifically, the article examines the way the children of O'Malley and Ehrlich have been involved in the gubernatorial campaign. Though the article provides grounds for critiquing both the “Mom” and “My Dad” spot, O'Malley features this article on his website (Donovan, Second generation puts dad's campaign first, 7/25/06).

http://www.martinomalley.com/news/830/second-generation-puts-dads-campaign-first

The “Mom” ad was also picked up in a column by Laura Vozella, noted for its mimetic value. Inspired by O'Malley's “Mom,” Scott Rifkin is now using his mother to record phone messages to voters in his race for a Maryland State Senate seat (Vozella, Forget Bob Ehrlich – Try faux Ehrlich, 9/1/06).

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella01sep01,0,4242724.column?coll=bal-local-storyutil

Washington Post

The Washington Post announced the release of the “My Dad” and “Mom” ads in their “Maryland Moments” news and notes section online. The site's capacity for commentary enabled it to capture some viewer feedback to the spots (Jordan, Candidates on Air, 7/18/06).

Kern, M. (1989). 30-Second politics: Political advertising in the eighties. New York: Praeger.

Nelson, J. S., & Boynton, G. R. (1997). Video rhetorics: Televised advertising in American politics. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Parry-Giles, S. J., (2000). Mediating Hillary Rodham Clinton: Television news practices and image-making in the postmodern age. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 17 205-226. Retrieved September 12, 2006 from EBSCO/Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

Parry-Giles, S. J., & Parry-Giles, T. (2005). Fahrenheit 9/11 —Virtual realism and the limits of commodified dissent. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Boston, MA, 2005.