Having found the tone and lack of substance in political advertising for the presidential election to be disconcerting, Lyle Greenfield, founder/creative director of Bang Music, New York, decided to do something about the sorry state of affairs. He teamed with a small group of concerned citizens to form This Vote Counts, a nonprofit organization designed to reach voters with thoughts and issues instead of the more prevalent means of character assassination and diversionary tactics.
"I felt if I didn’t do something, I’d regret it on Nov. 3, particularly if the election didn’t turn out the way I think it should based on the needs of our country," related Greenfield, who hearkened back to his days as an agency creative. He conceived and developed what turned out to be three spots, enlisting the help of friends and colleagues to donate talent, services and resources on a pro-bono basis.
Greenfield then picked up the tab for out-of-pocket costs in the production and put up a little more than $50,000 of his own money to fund a modest yet ambitious media buy in several swing state markets—Marquette, Mich.; Des Moines and Sioux City, Iowa; Columbus, Ohio; and Orlando, Fla.—to reach undecided voters. Additionally, the ads have begun running in New York City and there’s the possibility that some airtime will be bought in Washington, D.C. The intent of the New York and D.C. buys is to drum up some buzz for the campaign among pundits and the like. Greenfield held a small fundraiser last week at Bang Music—not to recoup his investment but to hopefully add more weight to the media buy.
The process of creating, producing and buying time for the spots in a collaborative spirit with people giving of themselves, said Greenfield, "has been an invigorating, exhilarating experience. It’s like coming alive when you get involved on this level, and you see and feel the support."
The commercials largely deploy real people from different walks of life who talk about what’s important to them. To be sure, the spots are partisan. They call into question the leadership provided by the Bush administration, though the president himself is never mentioned. People appear on camera discussing their concerns, hopes and dreams for themselves and their country. For example, the :30 "On Hold" shows people relating that it seems that major issues such as education, health care and the environment have been put on the backburner during this election. Concerns are expressed over the country’s massive debt, corporate greed and the outsourcing of jobs.
In the :30 titled "The Future," folks observe that the election is not just about terrorism, and they identify issues that seem to be getting lost in the shuffle—including the prospects for future generations. A mom, for instance, points to her two-year-old daughter, relating "This vote is about her future." And in "Fear Factor," people say that fear should not be used by leaders as motivation. One person objects to the assertion by Vice President Dick Cheney (though he is not referenced by name) that the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the U.S. is greater if the incumbent isn’t re-elected. A man follows that up by saying that what we need are public officials "leading by example, not fear." All the spots are tagged with the slogan "Vote for change."
Greenfield wanted substantive issues and concerns to be the crux of the campaign. He sees this as an antidote to what he regards as concocted issues, such as the military service of the two candidates during the Vietnam War. Indeed, it’s amazing that so much of Decision ’04 has focused not only on the Swift Boat campaign critical of Sen. Kerry, but also questions over President Bush’s tenure at the Texas Air National Guard. These remnants from a decades-old war have shared headlines with the current war being waged in Iraq.
This Vote Counts’ campaign can be viewed on its Web site, www.thisvotecounts.org. Among the artisans who worked on the spots were director/videographer Peter Blitzer, who handled the shoot in Miami; executive producer Ed Kleban, Bang Music’s Winston Philip (videographer, recording mixer) and Greenfield, who teamed to direct the New York shoot; editor Matt Meyer of Impulse Productions, New York; motion graphic designer Kieran Walsh and producer Frank Devlin, both of Version2. Editing, New York; Bang’s Brian Jones and Espen Noreger, who arranged the music; voiceover Reid Paley; and Bang’s office manager Sheila Horgan, who was production assistant.
