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What makes a good political advertisement?

Janella Paris, Glenda Marie Castro

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

What makes a good political advertisement?
When it comes to political advertisements and campaigning in general, some candidates play the game better than others

MANILA, Philippines – Political advertisements played a vital role in raising the awareness of candidates as they vied for local and national seats. Many of these advertisements would have persuaded voters to vote for particular candidates, or to not vote at all.

Voter turnout may have been fluctuating over the years in the Philippines, but compared to the rest of Asia, Filipinos still tend to go to the polls more than their Asian neighbors. (READ: Voter turnout: How the PH compares to the world)

How much of this is influenced by political advertisements mounted by candidates? And what is the formulam if any, for a good political ad?

Rappler spoke with Severino Sarmenta, former chairman of Ateneo de Manila University’s communication department, and Arjan Aguirre, a political science professor, to give us a rundown of some of this campaign season’s political advertisements that worked. They primarily spoke to us about TV and video commercials, as well as candidates’ taglines.

Winners

According to Sarmenta, who studies communication in election campaigns, the formula for a good political advertisment highlights a candidate’s strengths, has a catchy line that makes for easy recall, has strong visual content, and projects national issues that matter to the candidate.

Aguirre likewise agreed that ads should emphasize a candidate’s strengths.

So which candidates passed the standards?

Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. Dela Rosa’s ad has a catchy tagline – Itaga Mo Sa Bato – which he complements with the “strong and interesting visual content” of his TV ad, according to Sarmenta. 

The TV ad displays Bato as a hero of the masses, whom he can save and protect from crime. Aside from his appealing TV ad, Dela Rosa also benefits from his connection with President Rodrigo Duterte, whose ratings remain high, said Aguirre. (READ: In 2019 campaign, Dela Rosa wins with his heart and Duterte)

Aguirre also commended Dela Rosa’s ability to be self-reflexive, making himself humorous where he can beyond his ads.

“His approach na nagta-Tagalog na may Bisaya na punto, effective ‘yun (His approach of speaking in Tagalog with a Visayan accent is effective),” Aguirre said, highlighting Dela Rosa’s authenticity. It endears him to people and makes him seem like a friend.

Chel Diokno. “The simplicity of the ad reflects the candidate: a teacher and formator, a law advocate and sincerity. The fact that he talks to the viewer and looks straight into the camera is an asset of the ad,” said Sarmenta. (READ: Chel Diokno on running for senator: ‘Fight the fear’)

For Aguirre, the video was also very well produced. Moreover, he said Diokno’s ad was able to point to an issue that really matters but is rarely talked about: social justice. 

Serge Osmeña. Sarmenta said the “I-Serge mo” catchphrase is witty and easy to say for the candidate, making for very easy recall, “especially if the voter is undecided as to who to vote for.” 

Osmeña also benefits from being an ex-senator, which would make his name familiar to a number of voters. Aside from the catchphrase, his ads also feature the legislation he helped pass during his time as senator. 

Bam Aquino. Aquino also cracked the code for Sarmenta, as he said that “the ads both on social media and TV do a relatively good job of showing the youth and energy of the candidate.” He also said Aquino’s jingle makes for easy name recall.

For Aguirre, Aquino’s ads succeeded because they compiled his achievements and highlighted what people like about him. Beyond the ads, Aguirre also said that Aquino did well in not doing much negative campaigning, only highlighting his achievements in legislation on education, among other things, throughout his years as senator. 

Mar Roxas. Roxas, initially, was a winner in Aguirre’s eyes. For this election cycle, Roxas branded himself as “Ekonomista.”

“Ekonomista” generated “preference for him because it projected a new and changed man,” said Aguirre. Roxas chose to retreat from the limelight after his defeat during the 2016 elections. (READ: Mar Roxas seeks to defeat ghosts from 2016 bid)

This time around, Roxas tried to distance himself from the “Daang Matuwid” of elections past. This is shown in his campaign colors, green and blue, an attempt to remove any association with the “dilawan” (yellows).

POSTERS. A political campaign poster hangs from a tree along UN Avenue in Manila on February 13, 2019. Photo by Lito Borras/Rappler

However, Roxas’ momentum was broken by his nearly 3-week absence from the campaign trail to attend to his newborn twins. Consistency is key, too, Aguirre said. 

Political realities

Knowing marketing principles and production skills is not enough, however. There are just political realities that give some candidates an edge over the others. For Aguirre, the success of candidates of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) slate hinges primarily on their association with the President.

Bong Go, for one, “doesn’t need to talk or convince people about why they should vote for him,” said Aguirre. (READ: State-run PNA leads pack in publishing online PR about Bong Go)

“The mere fact that his branding focuses on his connection with President Duterte – as a close aide – that’s already a strong message. And that is why Go is so high up in the surveys – because the President’s satisfaction rating is so high,” Aguirre added. (READ: The man they call Bong Go)

Besides, PDP-Laban and by extension, HNP candidates, still dominate in terms of exposure and frequency of ads. This is a reflection, perhaps, of more funds and political machinery.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism recently reported that all in all, the top 7 spenders for political ads this election season have spent a total of over P2 billion. The top spenders, based on their report, are: Roxas (P463 million), Go (P213 million), Cynthia Villar (P400 million), Francis Tolentino (P333 million), Sonny Angara (P308 million), JV Ejercito (P295 million), and Imee Marcos (P266 million). Only Roxas is not part of HNP in this roster.

All of these candidates, except for Villar, have declared wealth far lower than their ad spending, based on their latest Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

“[Ads] cost money of course, in terms of production and placement. Those with deep financial reserves obviously have an advantage with polished commercials and abundant placements in highly-rated TV programs,” said Sarmenta. (READ: Political ads of top spenders worth more than their declared wealth)

But just how influential are ads outside of door-to-door efforts and sorties?

Sarmenta said: “Airing the commercials in highly-rated TV shows like the teleseryes (TV series), the news programs, or even sports programs reach a great number of potential voters. The bulk of the voters watch these shows and [they] are hard to ignore.”

But beyond recall, for political science professor Aguirre, “Electoral events such as elections, campaigning, [and] candidate nomination, should be an informative experience on the part of the voters and the candidates.”

“A political ad should be informative and beneficial…. Many people still base their voting choices on political ads, and it’s very important that they get to know the candidate through them,” Aguirre said.

Political ads, more importantly, give the electorate another avenue of holding their candidates accountable. Ads are a testament to candidates’ promises, and if they are broken, the public should know. – Rappler.com

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