Boxer, Fong Ads Try Personal Touch

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is battling a strong challenge from Republican state Treasurer Matt Fong. Here, three experts analyze their advertising strategies:

Dee Dee Myers, former press secretary to President Clinton and to Dianne Feinstein in her 1990 gubernatorial race

“Fong’s ads are sort of Politics 1A. His abortion ad, responding to Boxer’s charge that he’s not pro-choice, is a blend of poll-tested positions. ‘I’m for parental consent’ [in the case of a minor]. Most Californians are. ‘I’m against indiscriminate late-term abortions.’ Everyone I know would agree with that. But why is he doing this ad? If you’re voting on the issue of abortion rights, you’re going to vote for Boxer.

“The best of the bunch is Boxer’s gun ad. It’s powerful visually, it gets people’s attention and hits an issue Californians care about--even some Republicans favor gun control. By calling Fong “the gun lobby’s favorite candidate,” she vilifies him on an emotional topic. Highlighting her endorsement by police officers is smart, because she’s perceived as too liberal.”

Don Sipple, GOP media consultant

“Boxer is a polarizing and somewhat caustic political personality, and she’s using these issue ads to try to override that. But her mistake is featuring herself too much in her ads. By doing that, she’s confronting people who don’t like her with this person they don’t like, instead of letting her record do the talking. Next to her, Fong’s an easy guy to go with--soft-spoken, sincere, a viable alternative. That’s why his ads show him so much.

“Fong’s abortion response spot is clean and fluid, with some good thinking behind it. It starts with those old pictures of him as a kid, then talks about his birth mother making the right choice--adoption. All of that personalizes the thing. Too many times you get these cliche-driven abortion ads; this one feels like it comes from the heart. And having his wife in the shot with him is a nice touch.”

Kirk Souder, creative partner at Santa Monica ad firm Ground Zero Branding

“Most of their ads are the typical political stuff--blah, blah, blah. But one spot from each candidate was smart in a similar way. Boxer’s ad on kids tells us that first and foremost she is a mother and grandmother, and that her pro-kid agenda is rooted in something very integral to who she is. The ad uses old home movies of her and her family together, which humanizes her, going beyond the artificial way politicians usually portray themselves.

“Fong does the same in his abortion spot--he uses his own life to illuminate his position on an issue. It opens with pictures of him as a boy--even one of him in a cowboy suit. That feels nostalgic and breaks the boundary of us seeing him as a pure politician. Then we hear his message about how his mom chose adoption instead of abortion. It’s powerful.”