Political Advertisement Analysis

Political Science 1
Writing Assignment Instructions

Political Advertisement Analysis

An effective political ad or campaign commercial works on several levels. It must make an effective argument, either for or against a candidate. It must work on an artistic level, using the techniques of filmmaking to capture the viewers’ attention and stay in their memories. And it must work on an emotional level, creating a connection with the voters. While a strong advertising campaign does not guarantee election, it often does indicate which candidate has a clearer and more effective message. It is not surprising, therefore, that in most years, the best ads also happen to be in support of the winning candidates.

Top 10 American Presidential Ads of All Time (Since 1952)
# 10 Barack Obama, “Yes We Can” (2008)

Written and performed by the Black Eye Peas frontman WILL.I.AM with guitar accompaniment from Jesse Dylan and released on February 2, 2008, “Yes We Can,” is most famous for being the first successful campaign commercial of the digital age. It was the first “viral” campaign commercial and the first influential political ad that was made not for television but for the internet, specifically for the online video-sharing website, YouTube.com.

The lyrics were composed of quotations from Obama’s concession speech in the New Hampshire presidential primary (which he lost to Hilary Clinton), and was shot in a spare black-and-white, featuring Obama’s image in collage fashion. In addition to WILL.I.AM and Dylan, several other celebrities and musicians have cameos in the video. By July 22, 2008, the video had been watched over 21 million times on YouTube and other sites. After the success of “Yes We Can,” every political candidate for office, whether for the United States Presidency or for local city council, has hired staff to produce online campaign materials, always with the hopes of “going viral.

”Campaign: 2008 Presidential Campaign, Barack Obama (D) vs. John McCain (R)URL: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2008/yes-we-can-web

Transcript:(Acoustic guitar)OBAMA (speaking) and WILL.I.AM (singing): It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes we can. [TEXT: YES WE CAN]With KAREEM ABDUL-JABAR and COMMON: It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists, as they blazed the trails towards freedom: Yes we can. Yes we can.With JOHN LEGEND (singing): It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.With TATIANA ALI and KATE WALSH: It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier…With JOHN LEGEND: …and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.OBAMA: Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.AISHA TYLER: Yes we can.SAM PAGE: Yes we can. KATE WALSH: Yes we can. KAREEM ABDUL-JABAR: Yes we can.JOHNATHAN SCHAECH: Yes we can.

Instructions:

Choose one of the Top 10 Political Ads. Write a 5-paragraph paper (4 to 5 pages long) analyzing the ad that you have chosen. Your analysis should include a description of the campaign during which the ad aired, a description of the ad itself, as well as an argument about the quality of the ad – why was the ad effective? Your paper should include an introduction (paragraph 1) and a conclusion (paragraph 5), as well as a paragraph explaining the political context of the ad (paragraph 2), a paragraph describing the ad (paragraph 3), and a paragraph explaining why the ad was effective and has become famous (paragraph 4).

• Introduction (paragraph 1): Your introduction must have the following:
o Introduction of the ad (e.g., This paper will analyze the political ad titled “X”).
o Introduction of the context of the ad (e.g., The ad aired during the X presidential campaign between A and B).
o Outline the paper (e.g., This paper will first describe the political context of the ad, second describe the ad itself, and finally make an argument about why the ad was effective).
o Thesis statement: One or two sentence statement summarizing why you believe the ad was effective and has become famous as an example of a good political ad (e.g., This ad was effective and has become famous because …).

Grading:
Your paper will be graded on a 100-point scale based on the following criteria:

• Content (80 points): Does your essay includes 5 paragraphs, each of which has all the required elements listed above? Is your paper at least 4 pages long?
• Writing Style (10 points): Does your essay use correct grammar and spelling. Does each paragraph begin with a topic sentence explaining what the paragraph will be about?
• Format (10 points): Is your paper double spaced, written in a 12-point font and with 1-inch margins? Does your paper have page numbers? Does your paper have a title?

Citation:
All quotations and paraphrases from the livingroomcandidate.org website, as well as any other sources must be cited with APA in-text citations; these citations must refer to a Work Cited page (this page does not count toward your 4-page minimum or your 5-page maximum).

I just need a. paragraph 1.
I’m short on ideas on how to write a paper start and I want to help