Regardless of my own political opinions, I found this particular ad campaign intriguing.
We've recently discussed in class how politicians (or anyone in the public eye) strategically construct a public image of themselves. Target audiences is a subject we've also discussed, and how companies will construct their image to appeal to a certain demographic.
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| Courtesy of the Obama Campaign |
This image is promoting Barack Obama's run for presidency but the first real words are "Join Michelle". First off, the use of the presidential couple's first names gives off a certain casual air - as if you're talking about your joining your neighbors for some random event. This technique makes the presidential couple seem much more relatable and accessible.
By telling the public to "Join Michelle", it is implied that she somehow has some influence in the political sphere. Interestingly, Barak, the one person who actually can change things, isn't even pictured. However, Michelle has no official power over the policies of our nation although she has been active with campaigns for social change like her "Let's Move" campaign against childhood obesity in addition to keeping up public appearances. It is important to remember, though, that voting for Obama does nothing more for Michelle's power except to keep her living in the White House.
It is clear that this ad targets the female demographic of the Obama vote. He has done an amazing job characterizing himself as the family man by keeping his wife and children by his side throughout the campaign trail and his presidency. This ad further emphasizes that Obama can appeal to the female demographic because he has such a strong woman by his side.
What other messages do you pick up from the picture?
Kathleen--I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Let me not forget to mention the loud laugh I let out at the part where you equated the usage of Michelle's first name to a neighbor's.
ReplyDeleteEverything about this photo bleeds Obama-propaganda. Something that you may have noticed but didn't touch up upon was the particular photo of Michelle they went with. Now, I've seen many photos of Michelle. I've seen photos, like this, where she is smiling, and looks especially inviting. But then again, I've seen some not so inviting photos, such as this one: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/03/01/article-0-11FACF4A000005DC-580_634x671.jpg
which I found from an article entitled "Grumpy Michelle frowns through state dinner as President thanks Iraq War veterans and their families" in the UK's Daily Mail.
But that photo would not have made as strong of a "Join Michelle" photo, would it?
How comforting it is to know that everything to the last detail of a campaign photo like this is planned to target women-like us!
But, in Obama's favor, I have yet to see a women-targeted Romney campaign picture, which I think says something about both of these candidates.
I agree with almost every point you have made about this advertisement, especially the point that Obama is heavily targeting the female audience. One thing Obama is banking on in this election is the female vote, which consisted of more than 50% of voters in the last election. As far as secret messages go in this image, I think that the ad is meant to remind voters of Obama's female friendly stance in terms of birth control, especially when compared to how the Republican party feels about it. By putting Michelle Obama as the face of the campaign, he is reminding voters of his pro life stance, which there are many single issue voters for.
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