Much of my work is about analyzing stories and they power they have in our lives. This morning I saw a US Presidential campaign ad that I thought told a really good story in less than two minutes. So I wanted to talk about that, but to be fair, I wanted to also talk about a story ad on the other side. This is what I’m writing about today, so if you aren’t interested in this…this is your warning that you may want to move on to your next Internet subject.

For those of you are interested in the stories in the campaign, here are a couple that I think were well done. I will say that neither is from the campaign itself, but outside people creating videos to showcase their points of view. But I found them both very effective in their own ways.

I will start with this video, which made not even be classified as a campaign video. It is a video supporting a song by Jon Kahn that at this time is the #1 download on Apple ITunes. However, the video is all about Donald Trump, so I’m counting it as a campaign ad:

Let me begin by saying I’m not Donald Trump’s target audience, so I won’t pretend to say that I speak for his base. However, of all the Trump ads I’ve seen, this is my favorite. I’m a sucker for music, so I like an ad that uses that as the basebone. But I can appreciate the song lyrics and the images that accompany it. I have policy issues with Donald Trump’s stands, but this video tells the tale of him as a fighter…which I would totally agree with.

To me, it is particularly effective when it gets to the end, where it shows his resistance to his first assassination attempt (OBVIOUSLY not something any of us want to support instead of a violence-free election among the people to choose their preferred leaders). Still, I acknowledge Donald Trump for continuing his campaign despite not just one, but two assassins on his path. It is a statement for those who have been threatened with violence to continue their electoral campaigns, and I acknowledge former President Trump in that regard.

I believe Donald Trump has resonated with a significant proportion of our US population that feels left out of the realization of the American Dream , and this video really taps into that. It does a great job of conveying the idea that he is not just fighting for himself, but for the people he represents. I think that they kept the video in black and white adds gravitas. Personally, I think it also helps that he isn’t talking. I was touched by many of the smaller moments of him hugging people, or picking up and returning the hat of a military person who is supposed to stand at attention. As a story, it is simple: Donald Trump is a fighter, regardless of polls or “news media” or whatever. It is simple, it is straightforward, and I totally agree with the story. I may not agree with Donald Trump’s policies, but I can’t deny that he is a fighter.

This is another ad, this time for Kamala Harris. It is by the Lincoln Project, which is an organization that wants to reclaim the Republican party from the control of Donald Trump. It is also an ad that is not designed for my target audience, as I’m trying to be as fair as I can be considering these stories.

I appreciate this ad as something that is supposed to appeal to men, not to me. The narrator is Sam Eliot, who is such a great actor, and who so often has appeared in films as our ideal of a latter day “cowboy'” and all the myths we have about that American icon. Who better to speak to the men of our land?

I will say it is interesting that they mostly had the Trump video segments in black and white. While I thought it was totally effective in the former video, in this ad it makes him seem like the “darkness” verses the “light” offered by Kamala Harris.

Personally, I don’t swear. You can ask anyone who knows me; that is just not something I do. But as a story analyst, I can appreciate the use of profanity in this video. When used judicially, swearing focuses attention on a point, and I think this ad does it brilliantly.

But more than that, I think it walks voters, particularly male voters, through their voting decision.

I love the opening line:
“I can’t believe we are having this discussion again.“

This may not speak to newer voters, but for those of us who where around for the 2016 elections, former President Trump has not changed his positions much. So in a fairly polarized country, this may seem like a boring conversation.

However, the conversation can also be around the actual impact of the different candidates. This ad doesn’t go into that, but I imagine calls out to other ads that address that more specifically.

My favorite lines are about why people, particularly men, are opposing the change that Kamala Harris represents. The ad actually asks:

“Because if it’s the woman thing, it’s time to get over that. It’s time for hope, for change. It’s time to be a man and vote for a woman. “

I don’t think either of these ads/stories were aimed for me. But I enjoy looking at them in themselves, as well as looking at the different stories of the US they tell to different US populations. I would love to hear your comments about how you perceive these ads.