AD CONTEXT 

Circulating during the end of September, “We Believe” is situated amongst an established conversation of ads between the Ehrlich and O'Malley campaigns. Debuting after the primary and well after both campaigns came forth with their negative advertising, “We Believe” serves as a refreshingly positive ad, albeit with subtle negative undertones. The tone and message of this advertisement are in marked contrast with the negativity that pervaded a series of ad exchanges surrounding education (see O'Malley's “Reach” and “Education Cuts, and More”; see Ehrlich's “Another Difference”, “Succeed”, “Commitment”, and “One Shot”).

Moving beyond the governor's race, an enhanced understanding of this ad comes from considering it within the context of the larger election cycle, particularly in reference to the Cardin/Steele Senate race. With that race intensifying both in terms of the tone of their advertisements and the whirlwind of campaign events toward the end of September, Democrats are cognizant of the importance of ensuring a victory in this race (Mosk, Washington Post, 2006). Toward that end, countless Democratic politicians including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Kerry have appeared at rallies to support Democratic Senate candidate, Ben Cardin and Mayor O'Malley. Given fears that Lieutenant Governor Steele may be able to split off some traditionally democratic votes (Miller, Washington Times, 2006), all of these events are underpinned by the logic that the appearance of well-like Democrats in the state will motivate and unify the party base.

AD ASSUMPTIONS

“We Believe” is noteworthy because of its subtlety in argumentation. Unlike most of the advertisements in this year's gubernatorial race, “We Believe” lacks voice-over narration leaving the majority of the argument to be inferred from the visual imagery and text presented on the screen. The visual imagery plays a crucial role in uniting a community of voters in support of Mayor O'Malley. The text, on the other hand, provides the exigency for the emergence of that community. Stating what individuals “want” or “need” (i.e., “a better, stronger Maryland ” or “affordable healthcare”) implies that there is a lack or absence of those elements under Governor Ehrlich, which subtly evokes a negative undertone to this otherwise very positive ad. Using this text to situate Maryland residents within a state of desire, the non-discursive elements of the ad operate upon that premise of depicting Mayor O'Malley as the leader who will fulfill the voters' needs and desires.

The ad affectively functions to unite the democratic base into a community of support for O'Malley/Brown (and presumably the other Democratic candidates on the ticket). The first two-thirds of the ad operate by using music and close-ups to arouse the sentiments of the viewer. Once these feelings are stirred, the last third of the ad relies up on the visual imagery displayed to transfer that affinity to Mayor O'Malley and his campaign. Through this 30 second journey, the viewer is affectively transformed into a member of Mayor O'Malley's group of supporters and followers. While a plethora of techniques are employed in this ad to create such emotive identification, the music, camerawork, and visual content of “We Believe” will be explored here to examine how unification and transformation occur in this polispot.

MUSIC

The music in this advertisement is the primary vehicle for arousing the sentiments of the viewer. The importance of music to the operation of this ad is underscored by the absence of any narration. For the first 25 seconds of a 30 second spot, all one hears is the music. The candidate does not utter a single word until the last five seconds of the ad, and even then the candidate's remarks must compete with the music as the music does not cease when the spoken words begin. The cymbals and drums continue to sound over O'Malley's remarks. Rather than the music serving as background to the candidate's spoken words in “We Believe,” the candidate's words, conversely, serve as background against which the musical message is featured.

If this ad is to operate as an affective inducement, it is most logical that music figures so prominently into the construction of the ad. As Nelson and Boynton (1997) explain, “Ad music mobilizes emotions, stirs passions, [and] communicates feelings” (124-125). Indeed, music was thought to be such a powerful persuasive force that ad producers in past decades avoided its use; such deliberate manipulation of listeners' emotions was seen as an undignified and even unethical political strategy (Nelson & Boynton, 1997). “We Believe,” like some other contemporary ads, embraces the power of music. The ad begins with soft piano music, which guides the piece and steadily increases in volume throughout the ad. Toward the end of the 30 second spot, the music has swelled to a crescendo of piano, drums, and cymbals.

This particular score combines two genres of music to achieve the effect of, first, rousing the emotions of the viewer and second, encouraging the viewer to join with – or unite – behind the O'Malley/Brown camp. The music in the first twenty seconds of the spot is soft and sentimental and seeks to cultivate feelings of compassion. This type of music is “simple and intimate, usually [dominated by] a piano or a single instrument of some other kind” (Nelson & Boynton, 1997, 144). Two-thirds of the way through the spot, the music noticeably shifts with the introduction of the drums and the cymbals. This music is more reminiscent of the type used to convey the candidate's leadership capacity as a “rational judge,” featuring “vaguely upbeat music, briskly paced” (Nelson & Boynton, 1997, 146). Thus, just by assessing the music of “We Believe,” the framework upon which this ad operates is illuminated: induce feelings of compassion followed by an introduction of the candidate as leader.

CAMERAWORK

The camera work for "We Believe" operates in two distinct ways, through the edited transitions between images and through manipulation of spatial relationships. In the first twenty seconds of the ad, the transitions between camera shots are particularly sharp. The camera jumps from character to character or from a distant shot of a character to a close-up. There is no soft blurring of scenes or panning of the camera. For example, one shot jumps from being inside a doctor's office to an outdoor scene with young children. Indeed, the transition or movement from scene to scene is further emphasized by the inclusion of flashes of bright, white light during some of the transitions. Employment of these transitions emphasizes that these are distinctly different shots of distinctly different people in distinctly different locations. The apparent construction of abrupt transitions underscores the spatial difference between these characters – they are not in the same geographical area, rather they are spatially separated. The spatial distance between characters during the first two thirds of the ad becomes critical to ad's ultimate plea for unification.

It is also crucial to consider the camerawork within each shot, particularly as it concerns the relationship between the characters and the viewer. Within 20 seconds, the ad focuses on ten different characters and one shot of a house with a child bicycling by. With the exception of the house scene, it is noteworthy that each character is shot at an incredibly close angle. In most scenes only their faces (or perhaps their faces and shoulders) fill the frame. This camera work encourages the viewer to feel closer to the characters. In contrast with long, objective shots, the closer the shot of the character, the more the viewer comes to see the character as an individual (Meyrowitz, 1982). These tight shots are a key to ensuring that the viewer feels connected to the people in the polispot. Achieving such identification is an integral aspect of the “We Believe” seduction.

VISUAL SETTING 

Beyond the integral role of music and the use of close up images, it also is clear that the ad emphasizes the diversity of the people featured, as each of the 10 characters shown during the first twenty seconds of the spot seemingly represents a different demographic on the grounds of age, sex, gender, and occupation. The ad presents a white, middle-aged man; an older, black woman; a male construction worker that is more ethnically ambiguous; a white, middle-aged woman; a white, younger mother with her son; a white, older doctor; a young, white girl of four or five; a young, white boy of four or five; two black elementary school aged girls; and a white, middle-aged bus driver. By spotlighting a diversity of people in close-ups while sentimental music plays, the viewer is induced to feel some affinity for and connection with all of these individuals.

This ad is not unique in employing the tactic of spotlighting diverse individuals. In fact, it could be argued that ads like this have become their own genre within political advertising: the people on the street ads. Both crowd scenes and the use of testimonials by average Americans (i.e., the people on the street) serve as “evidence on the state of public opinion” (Messaris, 1997, 137). In this case, these testimonials speak to a collective faith in Mayor O'Malley. Within this genre, “We Believe” is highly mimetic of Nixon's “Unite” from 1968. Situated within the domestic divisiveness in the midst of the Vietnam War, “Unite” employs a quick succession of close-up images of Americans of different races, ages, and professions. Though some aspects of the ad contrast with “We Believe” (the Nixon ad has a voiceover, and the shots are still images rather than video clips), the premise is the same: a call for Americans of all walks of life to unite behind the candidate.

Messaris, P. (1997) Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Meyrowitz, J. (1982) Television and Interpersonal Behavior: Codes of Perception and Response. In G. Grumpert & R. Cathcart (eds) Inter/Media: Interpersonal Communication in a Media World . (pp. 221-241). New York: Oxford University Press.

Miller, S.A. Cardin Enlists Help of Obama. Washington Times . September 26, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2006 from http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20060925-103935-2248r.htm.

Mosk, M. M. Clinton Among Parade of Pols in Md. To Back Candidates. Washington Post. September 26, 2006. Retrieved September 29 , 2006 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/25/AR2006092501463.html .