It's about authenticity

Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 ad, “Confessions of a Republican” is striking because its sentiments are eerily similar to politics in 2016. In the ad, actor and lifelong Republican Bill Bogert, discusses his doubts about Barry Goldwater’s fitness for the presidency.  Some of the most prescient lines include the lack of truth or fact, the absence of policy proposals beyond antagonism, and bewilderment over the transformation of the Republican Party.

In July 2016, Hillary Clinton’s campaign remade the ad with the same actor, updated to today’s race.

It’s compelling for a number of reasons. First, the ad is filmed in black and white, like the original, and retains the same conversational, confessional air. Many lines from the original have been transplanted verbatim into the new version drawing parallels to our current situation. Undercutting the dialogue is the unsettling notion that perhaps nothing has changed over the past fifty-two years.

The ad received coverage on social media, blogs and in Ad Week. Snopes weighed in on the 1964 version’s originality, undoubtedly in response to claims of media rigging. There’s been a lot of that lately.

The ad is also effective because Bill Bogerts’ lines are and feel authentic. In an interview with Rachel Maddow, he stated that his words about Goldwater and Trump are his true feelings. Back then he told producers, if you`re using my name, then it`s got to be stuff that I believe.” He shares the same concerns today when observing the field of Republican contenders, “this is the cream of the crop? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Authenticity – or the appearance of authenticity – keeps coming up in commentary about political ads:

“People want authenticity and directness from candidates.” Lee Dunn, Google

“[Voters are] demanding authenticity and something that they think is real, and they know that advertising is not real.” Mark McKinnon, former President George W. Bush's chief media strategist and co-founder of No Labels on NPR.

“Voters left, right and center say they crave “authenticity” in their candidates. And though Americans disagree on exactly what the word means in a political context, nobody can deny that the notion of authenticity is having an unprecedented impact on the 2016 race for the White House.” The Daily News during the primaries.

This isn’t new. In 1990, the New York Times write a piece about images of realism in campaign ads noting, “political commercials are increasingly portraying candidates as authentic people who tell the truth.”

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both strive to demonstrate authenticity in their advertising. Most notable (to me and the panelists on a podcast from Maine Public Radio) is “Mirrors,” which portrays young women looking at themselves in the mirror while audio of Trump making disparaging comments about women plays in the background. It’s a juxtaposition between the innocence of youth and the sexualization of culture exemplified in Donald Trump. On the podcast, Brenda Garrand, owner of a communications firm notes, “The most important quality of advertising today is authenticity…it didn’t take very much for us to have a lump in our throat thinking about the emotions that [these girls] face everyday.”

Donald Trump’s ad, “Motherhood,” features his daughter Ivanka, talking about her father. She emphasizes her family life by describing herself as a mother and wife and refers to Trump as “my father.” She narrates the ad, emphasizing the ways that her father will support working women. Her commentary serves to humanize him, and her conviction is evident. Her appearance in this ad lends her father and his proposed polities authenticity.

Television advertising is carefully crafted to deliver very specific messages about candidates and their opponents; every detail is a conscious decision and the main messages are often focus-grouped for effectiveness. Television advertising is not taken lightly. It is frequently the single most expensive item in a campaign’s budget and thus the stakes are very high. Even though younger Americans are moving away from traditional television viewership, campaigns will continue to include television advertising in their portfolios. It’s been used for years, is an effective way to reach less tech-savy demographics, and imparts powerful messages that stick with voters regardless of whether they realize it. Television advertising is also a symbol of financial power in the political arena, and can be used as a way to intimidate opponents. These ads are covered as news by mainstream media; this shouldn’t be discounted in today’s increasingly digital media environment.