First Labour Party ad

The video above is the first ad from the New Zealand Labour Party. This is a good ad, and among the best Labour Party ads during the past 20 years. It has good imagery, cinematography, use of music, and the message underscores the message of positivity while taking on the martketing and attack lines of the National Party. It’s a winner.

The ad above is the 30 second version, and the one at the bottom of this post is the 15 second version. I personally think that one is too short to convey the messages well. But here’s the long (90 second) version of the ad which provides the fuller message the two shorter ads are taken from:



The messaging conveys urgency, optimism, and inclusiveness. The successful National Party ads from 2014 did the same thing, without the inclusiveness, of course. National’s main argument is that people shouldn’t rock the boat, they should stick with National. And this ad takes that message on directly and explains why New Zealanders can and should change the government.

These points are made most clearly in the 90 second ad, of course, and the core message is still there in the 30 second ad. The 15 second ad would be fine for later in the campaign, after people have had a chance to absorb the overall message. In that case, the essential message is encapsulated in the ad's narration, serving as a reminder of what Labour has been campaigning on:

Now’s the time we’ve been waiting for. This moment. An opportunity to build a better, fairer future for New Zealand. I am ready. We’re all ready. Let’s do this.

All advertising designed to get action has to have a clear, easy-to-understand message, one that can be kept for later when action is required and possible—in this case, voting. This ad works on all those levels. This ad is unlikely to win over opponents, but no political ad does that—in fact, that’s not their purpose. Instead, they’re intended to fire up the base and to get the attention of uncommitted voters who can be persuaded. Not all ads do all of this, or even any of it, necessarily, but this ad does. And all of that is why it works so well.

I think this ad is a winner.



Disclosures: I’m a supporter of the New Zealand Labour Party, but have no position of any kind with them, nor am I in contact with party leaders. All opinions expressed are entirely my own, based on more than 40 years closely following election campaigns. In the interest of even-handedness, at the moment I’m sharing only ads that have been posted to YouTube because they’re easily accessible to anyone. I do not verify that all ads are actually broadcast, and anything I say about them being on TV is based entirely on my own experience; other people’s experiences may be different.