Spot Check: A regular look at the latest ads from the political parties

Shannon Proudfoot
Canwest News Service

The latest Liberal ads, called “The Liberal Plan” show ordinary Canadians talking about the Liberal party, shifting the spotlight away from Stephane Dion. (Canwest News Service)

Liberals     

The spot: "The Liberal Plan"     

The plot: A low-key ad featuring a diverse group of "ordinary Canadians" praising the Liberals for balancing the books, bringing in universal health care and refusing to join the war in Iraq. Takes a brief jab at Stephen Harper by saying he'll force Canadians to "go it alone" in an uncertain economic climate.     

The bottom line: "The Liberals know Canada's at its best when we work together instead of being told to fend for ourselves."     

The message: "It makes the party, not the leader, the ballot issue," says Jonathan Rose, a political studies professor at Queen's University. "I found it interesting that it names the party `Canada's Liberals' and shows Stephane Dion literally fading into the party. Here is a case where the images speak volumes."     

"It plays to the party's strengths, mainly the history that they have running the country," says Jeff Musson, a 35-year-old Windsor, Ont., voter and small business owner. "They use what seems to be ordinary Canadians (could be actors) as testimonial. Dion is not found in the ad other than a small picture at the very end (and) if you blink, you miss it."     

The review: "This is a classic feel-good ad that combines a reassurance of the Liberal party with bland bromides," says Rose. "It evokes and reinforces the Liberals as the guardians of Canadian values."     

"This is by far the best ad the Liberal party produced this election. Having testimonials and talking about the party's strong past make this ad very effective, in my mind," says Musson. "The Liberals should have used this marketing strategy at the beginning of the campaign instead of at the end. If they did, there may have been a significant difference in where the party stands in the polls today."