With an election date secured, Australia now awaits an avalance of political advertising hitting our screns. In this five part series, creatives weigh in on what makes great election advertising. It first appeared in AdNews print - if you want to read it hot off the press you better subscribe here.
Good political advertising is about keeping things simple. In theory, this is a straightforward concept but one that politicians tend to ignore.
Ineffective political campaigning comes when politicians can’t simplify complex arguments. Often this is because they are reluctant to dumb down their message. But clear messaging isn’t dumbing down. Political parties have to communicate policies, which are accessible and emotive enough to get people to the polls.
This is one of the reasons why we tend to see good voter engagement around referendums - it’s a vote for yes or no. It’s also one of the reasons why parties on the right of the political spectrum are gaining traction. They find a single issue, like immigration, and campaign hard around it. Of course, once you’ve identified a clear issue to work with, you also need to make it engaging.
The media landscape is more complicated now, but the principles of simplicity and accessibility remain the same. Politics over time has developed its own set of language and behaviours, which can alienate everyday people. And to make it worse, the various political scandals over the years have created an even greater sense of mistrust.
Advertising agencies are well placed to help. We’re used to connecting the public with simplified, engaging ideas and creating desirability for even the most challenging of products.
The best political advertising forgets the complexity of party politics and personal motivations. It finds something that matters to th public and uses creativity to get that message across.
Check out VCCP founder Charles Vallance's 'Great political ad campaigns have fear arousal at the core' here.