Liberal ad aimed at Conservative government TV spending misses mark

Bill Walker is president of MidtownPR. He was previously the Ottawa and Washington bureau chief of the Toronto Star.His assessment ofa new Liberal Party adtargeting Conservative spending on their own TV spotsispart of an occasional series evaluating the effectiveness ofpolitical advertising.

What's the message?

The Liberals are trying to make the point that taxpayer-funded governmentTV advertising for programs such as the Action Planarebeing used topromote the prime minister and his Conservatives.

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The problem is that this conceptis confusing for the average viewer. When the ad says that in the past nineyears taxpayers "have paid $750 million for our ads" it is not immediately obvious except perhaps to a politically sophisticated viewer who they are referring towhen they say "our ads."

Overall, the takeaway key message of the ad is confusingand lacks an easy, catchy tagline that is memorable.

Why now?

Spending on government TV ads has been heavy lately, particularlyduring the Stanley Cup playoffs, where this new Liberal ad was targeted. This so-called loopholein government advertising laws is caused by the blurry line between what constitutes a government information ad and a partisan political ad.

Kernel of truth here?

There is a good point to be made on the issue, but this ad may not achieve it. Therehave long been complaints within political circles that in the run-up to an election,governments ramp up spending on TV advertising for partisan politicalgain.

The Conservatives had the same complaints when the Chretien Liberalgovernment was in power. Now the Conservatives are being criticized. For example,last fall they began running ads for upcoming family tax breaks months before taxseason.

Similarly, there have been feel-good ads for Canada's 150th anniversary, eventhough it is twoyears away. Critics call it political propaganda designed to benefit theConservatives. And it's worth noting that all Canadians pay for these adseach andevery taxpayer.

What score or rating would you give?

This ad scores a 2/5. The sound effects do a good job implying spending andfinancial transactions, but the message is convoluted. This is not an easy subject toexplain in a 30-second spot. But there are more effective ways to try.