IOP's JFK Jr. Forum Hosts Conversation on Campaign Ads

Audience members at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on Monday night watched a political advertisement in which a middle-aged man from Indiana recounted the loss of his job. Aided by sorrowful background music and black-and-white stills of a closed power plant, the man explained that 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s firm, Bain Capital, made $100 million off of his personal tragedy.

“This, to me, was the most successful political ad, not only in 2012, but in any advertising for a long time,” said Frank I. Luntz, founder and president of Luntz Global and moderator of the event.

Luntz, a Republican party strategist famous for coining phrases like “climate change” and “the death tax,” led a discussion titled, “Is This Any Way to Pick a President?” Jim Margolis, senior advisor for the Obama 2012 campaign, and Larry C. McCarthy, media advisor for the Romney-supporting Super PAC Restore Our Future, joined the conversations about campaign advertising today.

The speakers agreed that to create effective campaign ads, strategists should listen to the public and target potential voters. Margolis explained that the Obama campaign had separate tracks of advertising to reach out to different demographic groups.

“We’re able to start relevant conversations when we know something about the person and what their concerns are,” said Margolis in an interview with The Crimson.

According to Luntz, candidates often fail to engage with the public and instead simply repeat talking points. He recalled a moment in the 2012 presidential election when Romney was asked whether a college student could find a job after graduation.

“Why didn’t [Romney] say, ‘What job do you want?’” Luntz asked. “Why didn’t he ask, ‘How many of you are nervous you won’t find a job?’ The camera would’ve zoomed out on everyone raising their hands.”

Luntz said that both candidates failed to take advantage of the opportunity for reciprocal communication.

“You’re in a town hall, ask people a question!” he said. “Are you so arrogant that you can’t do that?”

The talk turned to the ubiquity of negative advertising.

“People say over and over that they don’t like negative ads,” said McCarthy, who produced the infamous 1988 Willy Horton attack ad. “But you see in focus groups and data that they respond to them.”

The speakers expressed regret about the current state of political advertising and discourse.

“When politicians do town hall meetings, they’re taking their lives into their hands,” Luntz said. “People stand in the back and start screaming the moment the candidate starts. They’re not listening to anything being said.”

Margolis agreed. “We’ve lost the ability to have conversations with any sort of moderation, and that’s reflected in Congress and on our news channels,” he said.

Yet Margolis also expressed hope for the future of campaign advertising. “When we get people involved in campaigns, their ability to inspire change can be incredible,” he said. “It’s powerful and it’s awesome.”