CMAG's Ad of the Week for 7/6/09

In response to the House’s passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act on June 26, issue groups are running ads targeting the legislation and prominent lawmakers involved in the vote. Some ads thanked legislators for backing the measure, while others expressed disappointment in its passage.

This week’s Ad of the Week is sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee and criticizes Congressman Tom Perriello (VA-05) for supporting the bill. The freshman Democrat is up for re-election in 2010 and the Republican Party is looking to regain control over this tightly-contested district. Using similar tactics seen in the 2008 election this 30-second ad ties Perriello to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as Pres. Barack Obama. The ad features a clip of Obama describing how electricity rates would “sky rocket” under his cap and trade energy plan. This plan, according to the ad, would “destroy jobs and cost middle class families $1,800 a year every time you turn on a switch.” At the end of the ad, viewers are instructed to “Call Perriello. Tell him he was wrong to vote for the Pelosi energy tax.”

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CMAG's The Grid - June 2009

Check out the latest issue of The Grid to learn which political campaigns spent the most money on TV advertising and find out where their ads are airing.

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CMAG's Ad of the Week for 6/29/09

As lawmakers continue to debate California’s budget, groups are taking the battle to the airwaves. SEIU has recently aired several ads demanding the legislature pass a common sense budget that will “balance spending cuts and taxes.” The group’s ads describe how the proposed budget hits families too hard, “all while keeping huge tax breaks for Big Oil and no tax hikes on tobacco or liquor.” Another ad criticizes Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger for suggesting more cuts for children, students and seniors.

This week’s Ad of the Week is the California Republican Party’s response to these SEIU ads. The 60-second ad implies labor unions are intimidating legislators to accept the union agenda. The announcer describes how labor unions want to further increase taxes to “protect every penny of state bureaucrats’ salaries.” According to the spot, these unions have started “bullying state leaders in the budget process with blatant threats to protect their bloated contracts.” Footage from a May budget hearing shows an unnamed SEIU member telling legislators to back their agenda or else the unions will “help to get you out of office” in November. The ad ends requesting viewers call the state Democratic leaders and tell them “it’s time to stand up to the union bullies.”

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CMAG in the News

In a report posted on CNN’s Political Ticker blog, CMAG data was used to describe healthcare ad spending, which has totaled more than $22 million so far this year. This report follows Pres. Barack Obama’s one-hour televised explanation of his healthcare plan. Read Evan Tracey’s thoughts on healthcare advertising and its big spenders here.

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CMAG's Ad of the Week for 6/22/09

As the American Clean Energy and Security Act, also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill, makes its way through Congress, energy-oriented issue groups have increased their ad dollars targeting the measure. Until recently, the ads supported the act, which proposes a cap-and-trade plan to reduce emissions — Vote Vets Action Fund, Clean Economy Network and Environmental Defense Action Fund all ran ads encouraging members of Congress to vote yes on the bill.

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company is running this week's Ad of the Week with an spot against the act. The 30-second ad features several people detailing how the Waxman-Markey Bill will affect MidAmerican customers. The ad begins with an announcer describing the plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions and trade carbon credits. However, “the trading won’t reduce emissions,” one woman says. Instead, MidAmerican Energy’s customers will be penalized because the bill could force the company to purchase more credits than it needs, causing electric prices to increase by at least 25 percent. “We can’t afford this bill,” a man says at the end of the ad. The announcer then instructs the viewers to contact their Congressional Representative to voice their concerns and encourage leaders to “cap and not trade.”

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity has joined the fight with an Internet ad found on Indy.com. The Web ad scrolls through text that states the need for legislation against climate change. However, according to the ad, the American Clean Energy and Security Act will be “too costly for electricity consumers” for it to be effective in this economy. Instead, the ad encourages viewers to tell Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) that “we need a bill that is effective and affordable.”

On the other side of the debate is the America’s Building Trades Union, which focuses its ad campaign on the jobs America would gain with the passage of the bill. The 30-second ad features a clip of Pres. Barack Obama stressing the need for new jobs and industry to be developed locally rather than overseas. “It’s time for America to lead again,” Obama says. The announcer then says a clean energy economy is possible, “but construction doesn’t start until Congress acts” by passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

The United States Climate Action Partnership ran an ad in political publications such as Roll Call and The Hill in support of the act. The ad highlights the coalition of companies and environmental organizations that defend the Waxman-Markey Bill. These companies would like the measure to advance through Capital Hill “so Congress can continue to build on the progress made this far.” The ad then directs readers to read the groups “Blueprint for Legislative Action" at US-Cap.org.

The pressure is on Congress to vote on the act before the summer recess. With the clock ticking on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, groups targeting both sides of the issue are sure to intensify the ad war with increased spending on the airwaves.

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CMAG Ad Watch - 2010 California Governor's Race

With almost a year until the state’s primary election, Californians are already seeing ads targeting its gubernatorial race. Republican candiate Meg Whitman ran an Internet ad on FoxNews.com in preparation for the 2010 election.

The former eBay CEO’s straightforward ad scans by several women and city buildings and stops with the text “Stand up for leadership” next to a smiling Whitman.

With the state in the middle of a budget crisis and with two of the Republican candidates independently wealthy, Californians can expect to see a lot of political ad spending in 2010.

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CMAG Ad Watch - Golden Door Initiative

The GOP begins the process of rebranding itself with a new ad by the Golden Door Initiave. According to its web site, the group's “sole mission is to measurably advance the cause of freedom, by promoting the ideas of principled leaders and advocating free-market ideas and solutions.” The ad emphasizes this belief as well as highlights prominent conservative figures, such as Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Wall Street Journal writer Stephen Moore, former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), who share these ideas. The 30-second ad begins with the image of a setting sun while the announcer describes how many doors are closing as people lose their jobs and savings. However, “the door doesn’t need to close on the American dream,” the announcer states, because a new generation of American leaders will “open the door on the next great chapter of the American story.”

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