Political Ads

The political climate is weirder and more intense than ever before (and that’s saying something!). When we’re dealing with the heightened emotions of politics, a grounded, honest connection to listeners is vital. Building trust is incredibly important. You need a voice that can simultaneously be authoritative AND neighborly… trustworthy AND empathetic.

Fun fact: there are five basic types of political ads.

1. Issue Positive. The most hopeful. Rather than tearing a candidate or topic to the ground, Issue Positive spots aim to inform listeners, give some information about a particular topic/issue/ballot measure, and inspire them to take action. The scripts may be positive throughout or start out on a more somber note (“Here is a problem.”) before transitioning to a rallying cry full of hope (“Here is the solution!”). Cue the swelling music!

2. Issue Negative. The reverse of Issue Positive, Issue Negative presents a problem… and then argues why a particular political attitude or ballot measure will make that problem worse. Spots in this style tend to remain in a more somber - sometimes even disappointed or angry - emotional tone.

3. Candidate Positive. Just like Issue Positive, this style strikes a hopeful, inspiring tone that is frequently aimed at creating an aura of warmth and trustworthiness around a particular candidate. It can play up a candidate’s strength, their compassion, their record on a particular issue, their ability to work well with others, etc.

4. Candidate Negative, aka Attack Ads. The goal is to play up the opponent’s weaknesses. The voiceover might be angry, frustrated, disgusted, appalled, or dripping with disappointment. Other times the emotion of the voice is flat, dispassionately letting the statements speak for themselves.

   There’s a popular sub-category that combines #3 with #2 or #4, where a spot will start out negative on an issue or candidate and then swirl around to present an uplifting view of why [other candidate] is the right person to solve the problem.

5. Amusing. These spots are, from the voice actor’s point of view, the most fun. We get to bring out a little snark. In my favorite iteration, the voiceover pretends to be fully in favor of a topic… until the tone twists into sarcasm. It’s an intriguing line to walk: where does the tone change? How far can you go? Would bringing in the snark a line earlier or a few words later make the spot land even better? It’s an opportunity to play the “mean girl” (but for a good cause).