I say this because political advertisements being aired and published now are all basically saying the same things. There’s really not much difference among them. In my observation, here are some of the most glaring similarities insofar as TV ads are concerned:

1. the ads communicate the message that their candidate is a saviour of some sort
2. visual elements are mostly the same — candidates mingling with ordinary people, distraught people, poor people, etc.
3. the ads highlight at least one all-encompassing promise
4. the ads end with a cheesy slogan
5. the ads are backed by a catchy song

Advertising experts may say that with the limited allotted time — usually from 30 seconds to 1 minute — there’s hardly any room to include more substantial information therefore they just make do with using the elements enumerated above. I suspct there’s more to it than just that. I think the candidates and/or their campaign managers are just afraid to take risks and would rather just stick to tried and tested methods.

The website www.media-awareness.ca provides us with a more comprehensive list of political advertising techniques. Here it is lifted from their website:

1.  Patriotism: The ad stresses the candidate’s love of and service to his/her country.

2. Gender: The ad presents the candidate as appropriately “manly” (or feminine) to make viewers trust him/her.

3. Family: The ad uses images of ideal families to give you a positive image of the candidate.

4. Excitement: The ad tries to create a sense of energy and excitement around the candidate.

5. Star Power: A celebrity is telling you that they support the candidate.

6. Bandwagon: The ad tries to create the impression that everybody already supports the candidate.

7. Put Downs: The ad insults the candidate’s opponent.

8. Facts and Figures: The ad uses facts and statistics to support the candidate’s policies.

9. Just Folks: The ad portrays the candidate as a “regular guy” (or girl).

10. Heart Strings: The ad tells a story that makes you feel good.

11. Sounds Good: The ad uses music (with or without lyrics) to be memorable, entertaining and exciting.

12. Cartoons and Animals: The ad makes its point with cartoon characters or (usually symbolic) animals.

13. Weasel Words: The ad includes promises that sound good but lack details.

14. Integrity: The ad tries to convince you that the candidate is honest and trustworthy.

15. Fear: The ad tries to frighten you into voting for the candidate (or at least not voting for his/her opponent).

(to see the list on their website go to this link)

Entry 12, cartoons and animals, is interesting. I’m sure you can make the connection yourself, but if you ask me I’d say the word reptilian comes to mind — and chicken too. I’m actually more interested in entry number 8, facts and figures. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think this is a standard feature in local political ads, is it? Anyway, this leads me to the main point I’ve been making all this time: Our political candidates are all just pandering and none of them are audacious enough to add more substance to their political advertisements.

This is quite unfortunate considering that more and more people are now demanding real and useful information. I’m of course talking about detailed plans. The way I see it there is an untapped opportunity here for any candidate to set himself or herself apart from the rest. This opportunity is especially perfect for candidates who are trailing behind perception-wise. Since they’re in the lowest rungs anyway they should be willing to take more risks with how they communicate their message. Instead of the usual pandering stuff they can come out with truly informative ads.

Runnning time a limitation? No problem. Just follow the format used for those one-minuter radio or TV reports. An example would be an ad featuring just the candidate talking about one specific issue and providing some specifics on exactly how he/she plans to address it.

Senator Noynoy Aquino’s “Hindi Ako Mag-Nanakaw” ad shows us that one can already say a lot of things in a one-minuter ad. Unfortunately, substance-wise it does not make the grade. Fortunately, this is easy to fix. Simply removing all the pandering stuff and keeping the focus on just one particular issue would easily do the trick.

Candidates, especially those who are lagging behind, should seriously consider this approach. In terms of cost, information-filled ads like the one I’m suggesting will obviously cost much less. The budget deprived can even create one just using a webcam and uploading the end-product on the internet. If the message is really good, the ad may even go viral.

And for those who want to really savor the lines, here they are lovingly transcribed by yours truly.

Minamahal kong kababayan,

Tadhana ang nagbuklod sa atin dahil naghihingalo na ang ating bayan, Nais kong pumasok sa isang kasunduan sa inyo. Lalaban tayo para sa wastong edukasyon ng bawat batang Pilipino. Lalaban tayo para sa abot-kayang serbisyong pangkalusugan. Lalabanan natin ang kahirapan. Lalabanan natin ang mga kawatan. Lalabanan natin ang sino mang wawasak sa kalikasan. Lalabanan natin ang sino mang manggugulo sa ating kapayapaan at katahimikan.

Ang laban natin ay laban ng bayan.

Sa ngalan ng aking mga magulang at sa gabay ng diyos, gagawin ko ang lahat ng aking makakaya na pagsilbihan ang mahal nating Inang Bayan. Bilang tunay na sagot sa kahirapan at tunay na daan sa kaunlaran, ang inyong lingkod Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino the Third, isang mamamayang Pilipino, nangangako sa Diyos at sa Bayan — Hindi ako mag-nanakaw.

Powerful stuff, really.

I have to congratulate the planning and production team behind this ad. You’ve just proven to everyone that it is possible to create a campaign ad that does not involve any dancing or singing and makes use of no overly dramatic images depicting squalor, despair and hope. Additional points as well for not including shots of mindless people carrying torches. Special mention goes to the scriptwriter. You sure can write compelling copy. I sincerely admire you for skillfully filling up a tight running time of one-minute with very powerful words. And, of course, Senator Aquino. You deserve much praise for your unusually impressive delivery and presence here. All in all, you all did a great job and I think this ad deserves an award for brilliant simplicity.

With that said, let’s now put on our serious-voter’s hat.

I think this ad is unprecedented. Here we have a politician coming out with an unequivocal promise that he will not steal. Noynoy may not be the first to come out with such a pronouncement in a TV ad but I’m pretty certain he is the first one to say it in such a simple and direct-to-the-point manner.

Hindi ako mag-nanakaw.

Truly powerful. Unfortunately, there’s a problem and it is this.

Noynoy, Hindi Ka Nag-Iisa.

Yes, indeed, that’s the problem, dear Senator. You really are not alone in laying claim to this anti-corruption branding. The fact is all politicians claim they are against corruption. Even Jun Lozada and Jose de Venecia III. Oh, I forgot, you think you stand out in this aspect because of your Sincerity, Honesty, Integrity and Transparency. Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s all in your head.

Hindi Ka Talaga Nag-Iisa. Pramis.

Speaking of promises. The good senator made really good use of the very limited running time by mouthing off a number of promises all said within the context of that nebulous Aquino concept of Laban.

Again, with our thinking-voter’s hat still on, let’s see if there is any value here. Hmmm. Hmmm.

Sorry, there is none. Want proof? Check out this utakngtilapia.com exclusive interview.

Huh? Laban? Asan? Asan ang laban?

For the truly hopelessly yellow, the message here is that Noynoy’s Laban is clear only to himself. Or maybe not. Sure he may have a general grasp of what Filipinos need but that’s nothing if he can’t even inform us how exactly he will pursue and achieve his promises. Let’s refer back to his campaign ad script.

Lalaban tayo para sa wastong edukasyon ng bawat batang Pilipino = How exactly?

Lalaban tayo para sa abot-kayang serbisyong pangkalusugan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang kahirapan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang mga kawatan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang sino mang wawasak sa kalikasan = How exactly?

Lalabanan natin ang sino mang manggugulo sa ating kapayapaan at katahimikan = How exactly?

So you see dear reader, not even this potentially award-winning ad can erase the sad fact that to this day Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has failed to properly communicate to us the substance of his candidacy. You’ve probably heard about his failure to attend the forum organized by the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation. I don’t know but it seems to me this is becoming a habit for Noynoy. Not good.

By the way, I realize that Noynoy may actually be telling us the truth when he said, “Hindi ako mag-nanakaw.” Who knows maybe he does have the will to actually keep himself clean while in office. The question is what about the people around him? Does he have the ability or guts to stand up to sycophants, influence peddlers and their mothers?

We’ll look into that later. In the meantime, here’s something for those who need to rid themselves of the hypnotic effect of Noynoy’s latest campaign ad.

(note: Writing about the (mis)adventures of Noynoy is getting tiresome. Unfortunately, someone has to do it since Noynoy’s handlers and supporters are not inclined to push their idol to do better.)