In the prior post, The WisDems’ New Ad: I recall, one sees the Democrats’ recall approach. In the ad below, from the Walker campaign, one sees Lt. Gov. Kleefisch answering those who wonder whether the Walker Admin has achieved what it promised. Here’s Your Money:
Watching the two ads, there’s a different presentation of the recall and retention efforts. Despite the stylistic differences, these ads are directed at a similar audience.
For recall proponents, the intended message is one of broad dissatisfaction with Gov. Walker, that he’s out-of-step with ordinary people. To convey this message, the I recall ad uses crowd shots and remarks from frustrated, but ordinary-looking, people.
Although the ad seemingly reminds residents of why they might already be upset at Walker (that they should ‘recall’ their doubts of him), that’s not its only audience. It’s those who might not have a strong opinion who comprise a target just as important: they’re the uncommitted voters whose participation might swing a recall election. Seeing shots of ordinary people expressing dissatisfaction with Gov. Walker is meant to sway them join a supposed majority against him.
The Kleefisch ad (Your Money) is different, but it has a similar target audience: independents or weakly-committed Republicans who may be having doubts about whether Walker has achieved enough to justify the turbulence his policies have brought to the state.
Rebecca Kleefisch isn’t speaking to diehards in this ad; she’s speaking to wavering or hesitant voters, and of those voters, to an audience of women. (Kleefisch sits cross-legged in the ad, as though she were speaking to women in a book club or coffee klatch. The ad’s certainly not intended, and would be useless, in persuading men: men don’t talk to women in this kind of setting. Women talk to other women — at least some suburban women do — in this kind of setting.)
There’s your field of battle, and the different ways by which the parties seek to persuade a common target audience.