THE AD CAMPAIGN : Kerry Plays Up His Endorsements and Support From Voters

[Feanorcurufinwe]

his 30-second advertisement for Senator John Kerry, which began running on New Hampshire television this weekend, is a version of one already running there, updated to include the League of Conservation Voters' endorsement of Mr. Kerry.

<snip>

ON THE SCREEN The commercial opens with a shot of a beaming Mr. Kerry bounding off his campaign bus and into a waiting crowd. It then shows Mr. Kerry standing in front of a fire truck, throwing his arm into the air as if he has just bowled a strike. The camera moves on to Brenda and Bob MacLellan, from Hennicker, N.H., standing in their kitchen. Then it is back to the street, where Mr. Kerry stands in front of a gaggle of microphones and cameras. The Concord Monitor's recent endorsement of Mr. Kerry is transposed onto the screen before fading to make way for Mary Ann Knowles, another regular voter, sitting in her living room in Hudson, N.H. The viewer is suddenly transported to the banks of a valley stream cutting through the wilderness. The League of Conservation Voters' logo flashes onto the screen. That is shortly followed by a reproduction of The Boston Globe's editorial endorsing Mr. Kerry. After this the spot moves back to the woods, where we see Regular Voter No. 4, M. J. Viederman, a woman from Concord N.H. The spot ends with Mr. Kerry, wearing a bomber jacket and speaking to an elderly couple.

THE SCRIPT The narrator says, "For 35 years, John Kerry's fought for people." Mrs. MacLellan says, "He's done it, he's got that experience." The narrator says, "The Concord Monitor says John Kerry is best prepared to be president." Ms. Knowles says, "He'll fight for us." The narrator says, "His environmental record has earned him the endorsement of the League of Conversation Voters. The Boston Globe says, `He's the man we trust to take on powerful interests.' " Ms. Viederman says, "The only way we are going to beat George Bush is with John Kerry's leadership and experience." Mr. Kerry says: "I promise to take the fight to George Bush every single day. I'm John Kerry and I approved this message."

<snip>

SCOREBOARD This spot packs more images into 30-seconds than some sitcoms pack into 30 minutes. It is, essentially, a New Hampshire version of an advertisement that Mr. Kerry used in Iowa. It is intended to show that he has momentum and a wide range of support that includes middle-class voters, mainstream media and environmentalists whose endorsement could theoretically go far in this woodsy state. Combined with Newsweek's decision to put Mr. Kerry's face on its cover with the headline "Bring It On," this spot could add to Mr. Kerry's momentum out of Iowa. Then again, in a state that lives to undo Iowa's influence, this may not be such a good thing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/26/politics/campaign/26ADBO.html

[displacedtexan]

1. Cool! But 30 seconds will never be long enough.

Not enough time for the entire list of endorsements, though.
Check out www.johnkerry.com/endorsements/
and then click on the steering committee links and the super delegates link.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. I think it should have included the headline:

"Kerry beats Bush in lastest Newsweek poll"