Ad Analysis Steele "Plan for Change"

For the past six years, the Republican Party has been in control of the White House and both houses of Congress. The same six years has seen a growing public restiveness and discontentment over foreign and domestic policy. There is increasing suspense over whether or not the Democratic Party will win back both houses of Congress. Consequently, there are many hotly contested seats across the nation, including the Maryland Senate race. Democratic candidate Ben Cardin currently serves as one of Maryland's representatives to Congress, and Republican candidate Michael Steele currently serves as Maryland's lieutenant governor. Rep. Cardin is campaigning primarily on his extensive experience in politics, while Lt. Gov. Steele is campaigning primarily on his commitment to change the culture of Washington, D.C.

In this and previous advertisements, Lt. Gov. Steele implies that there are structural and cultural problems with partisan politics in Washington, D.C. It is also assumes that Rep. Cardin, as a long-time Representative in Congress, is steeped in the problems and thus unable to meet the needs of today's society. Lt. Gov. Steele, on the other hand, is portrayed as a Washington outsider and can bring fair and effectual leadership to change Washington for the better.

Nelson and Boynton (1997) argued that visual components commonly “dominate the verbal aspects of ads” (p. 31), often detailing their contentions through visual images that reinforce or stand in for the verbal contentions. In one of Lt. Gov. Steele's previous ads, “Taking Out the Trash,” the image of trash cans embodied the ad's construction of Rep. Cardin as a repugnant enemy (read more). In “Steele Plan for Change,” the image of a television set represents and characterizes Rep. Cardin as fake and outdated.

The ad begins with Lt. Gov. Steele saying, “1967—Ben Cardin took office,” while the camera shows the screen of a stylized, exaggeratedly outdated television set. The television screen displays the date “1967” in off-white numbers set against a background of garish colors and designs reminiscent of the sixties. Then, after a split second of static, the television image transitions to a black and white, low-resolution or “grainy” still photograph of the young Rep. Cardin, presumably from 1967. The camera then cuts to a wide shot showing the rest of the television, still displaying the same black and white picture. Lt. Gov. Steele says, “Now, after 40 years in politics, Ben Cardin says he can change Washington ?” Toward the end of the ad the camera returns to the same wide shot as Lt. Gov. Steele says, pointing to the television, “Ben Cardin can't change Washington.”

The visual images of the ad portray Rep. Cardin as part of the problems of the past and Lt. Gov. Steele as the solution for the future. Snyder (1980) argued that the camera is an extension of the eye, and Schlesinger (1978) argued that moving images create a sense of reality. This sense of reality is captured in the representation of Lt. Gov. Steele as a very contemporary and modern figure through his presence and direct address with the audience. Rep. Cardin, conversely, is featured through still images trapped in a television set. Such antithetical images suggest that Rep. Cardin is equated with a television character that lacks political viability while the images of Lt. Gov. Steele communicate a sense of vividness and realism that reveals his political vitality. In this way, Rep. Cardin is characterized more as a fictionalized television character while Lt. Gov. Steele is presented as a real, genuine person.

In addition to the flat, fictionalization of Rep. Cardin, the visual qualities of the television set and the images on its screen characterize of Rep. Cardin as an old hat politician. The evident antiquity of the television disparages Rep. Cardin's experience in politics. Typically, age is associated with wisdom. However, the image of the television, a technology in which old is never better, suggests that Rep. Cardin is outmoded and part of the politics of old. The sixties design of the first image and the young Rep. Cardin depicted in the second image associate him with the past. When the dialogue of the ad jumps to the present with the phrase, “Now, after 40 years,” the same black and white photograph is displayed on the television screen, suggesting that Rep. Cardin is stuck in the past and has not changed with the times. Not only does the black and white color scheme of the photograph signify its agedness, it also induces a negative image of Rep. Cardin (West, 2001). In contrast to the drab, flat and frozen Rep. Cardin, the physical presence and movement of Lt. Gov. Steele creates a greater sense of vitality and realism (Schlesinger, 1978), and the cool blues of Lt. Gov. Steele's clothing and his surroundings evoke a positive mood and feelings of happiness and contentment (Terwogt & Hoeksma, 1995).

After the ad represents Rep. Cardin as entrenched in the politics of old and unable to change Washington, it suggests Lt. Gov. Steele is capable of changing Washington by moving him away from his party and positioning him above the fray of partisan politics. Lt. Gov. Steele is a Republican and undoubtedly relies on his party for campaign support. However, he does not announce his party affiliation in any of his television ads. In this ad he actively distances himself from his party by stating, “ We've got problems in both parties.” He further distances himself from the Republican Party visually. As Lt. Gov. Steele speaks about the Republican Party, the word “Republicans?” appears on the right side of the screen and he stands to the left. As he speaks about the Democratic Party, the word “Democrats?” appears on the left side of the screen and he stands to the right. Then, as Lt. Gov. Steele continues, the ad positions him in the center of the screen. Nelson and Boynton (1997) argued that visual components commonly “dominate the verbal aspects of ads” (p. 31), often detailing their contentions through visual images that reinforce or stand in for the verbal contentions. This staging visually reinforces the verbal message of the problematic sidedness of partisan politics and presents Lt. Gov. Steele as a moderate candidate.

By distancing Lt. Gov. Steele from both political parties, this ad also constructs him as an innovative leader. Edelman (1988) argued, “The appearance of innovation is nonetheless almost as necessary for officials who depend upon mass support as is conforming to prevailing ideas and structural possibilities because the spectacle of leaders departing upon new paths establishes their special talent and reinforces their right to rule” (p. 53). By disassociating Lt. Gov. Steele from the Republican Party, which is currently in power and suffering from low approval ratings, the ad presents him “in contrast to the mistakes of earlier leaders” (p. 40). The political distancing in the ad presents him as a candidate who represents “unique choices, offering something different from their rivals in style, personality, policies, empathy, or intelligence” (p. 49). In these ways, the ad effectively portrays Lt. Gov. Steele as a leader beyond the fray of partisan politics who will find innovative solutions.

An image that embodies Lt. Gov. Steele as an innovative and effective leader is the “Steele Plan for Change” logo. The last shot of the ad shows Lt. Gov. Steele standing to the side of his name, as he has in previous ads. Below the name is a white box with the graphic of a steel-colored bridge and blue lettering that reads “Steele Plan for Change.” The bridge symbolizes his positioning between the two dominant political parties and suggests that he can bring them together and develop innovative solutions. Also significant is the three-dimensional look of the box, which resembles computer software packaging. To the right of this image is the imperative, “Get the Plan.” Taken together, this image looks like a commercial product. Just as the concept of political advertising was borrowed from commercial advertising, Benoit, Geshner, and Chattopadhyay (2005) found that political ads brand candidates in ways similar to the marketing of consumer products. The product-like logo in this ad characterizes Lt. Gov. Steele as innovative and effective, similar to the latest software solution on the market. It also evokes a consumer mentality in viewers that reduces the complexity of government to a simple, effective solution—buy and install “the plan” (software) to update and run an effective government (computer).