Indeed, just minutes after the Conservatives went public with their ads, an army of pundits and journalists decried the assault. Some called the ads a “cheap shot,” others predicted it will “backfire.”
What caused the stir?
Well, the Tory ads in question attack Trudeau for being inexperienced and hence “in over his head.” To drive home the point, the Conservative spots aren’t exactly subtle or nuanced. They feature clips of Trudeau performing a mock striptease, they highlight some controversial Trudeau quotes and they question his employment experience. And did I mention, this is all done with circus music playing in the background?
Clearly, the Tories are using mockery as a weapon. But critics of the spots don’t find them the least bit funny. The Huffington Post, for instance, was not amused by the fact that the striptease video was taken and used without its permission. Others point out that one of the highlighted Trudeau quotes was actually taken blatantly out of context.
But what really seems to get everybody’s goat is that the Trudeau striptease clips were taken from a charity event for the Liver Foundation.
In other words, it seems like the Conservatives are attacking Trudeau for supporting a charity. Surely, say the critics, such a tactic is downright foolish. As Postmedia columnist Michael Den Tandt put it on Twitter, “The CPC has given Trudeau his first gift as Liberal leader.”
But before we declare that the vaunted Tory attack machine has misfired, it’s important to keep certain points in mind.
First off, it’s irrelevant if Trudeau was mock stripping for a charity. All that matters is the clips make the Liberal leader look silly and laughable. The visuals, in other words, reinforce the ad’s overall message: Trudeau can’t be taken seriously.
By the way, the subconscious mind won’t care if Trudeau looked silly for the sake of a good cause, all it knows is he looked goofy, and the subconscious mind often forms our opinions about people. And the Tories have plenty of time to build on the perception that Trudeau isn’t ready for leadership.
More importantly, we also need to keep in mind the true purpose of these ads. They are not designed to drive Trudeau down in the polls. With more than two years to go before a federal election, it’s way too early for that. Additionally, it doesn’t make strategic sense to go negative against Trudeau when he’s arguably at the height of his popularity.
So what are these ads designed to do?
Well, to be blunt, it’s all about money. The Tories are using these ads as a fundraising ploy, which makes perfect sense.
After all, with all the pomp and fanfare associated with Trudeau’s ascension to the Liberal leadership, emotions — both pro-and anti-Trudeau — are running high.
As anybody who has ever done any fundraising knows, the best time to ask for a contribution occurs when donors are emotional. And right now, I suspect the Tory partisan base is eager to see their champion Prime Minister Stephen Harper take on the upstart Trudeau.
The Tories are simply giving their base a way to express that feeling through a generous financial contribution. The ads give them something tangible to support.
And just as the media hate these spots, the Tory base will probably love them. In fact, I fully expect the Conservatives will rake in lots of cash.
So maybe they didn’t miscalculate after all.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Gerry Nicholls
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