Mike Harris and his Ontario PC government have taken advertising to new levels, advertising more frequently on contentious issues.
One of the most famous is Mike
Harris talking about waste and complexity in government. He uses the
metaphor of Tangled Wires to tell us
that government waste and bureaucracy is "a mess". A good example of
how advertising distills complex issues into simplified images.
Educational Reform
Harris Speaks A good example of how contentious issues, such as Bill 160, are framed. The bill is summarized by Premier Harris as merely "asking teachers to spend a little more time with their students," "putting an end to larger class sizes," and creating province-wide testing. The final line, "Let's put our children first" emphasizes his claim that the debate is between the interests of children on one hand and teachers on the other.
Chalkboard An important principle of rhetoric is that the audience must find the communicator persuasive. This spot, featuring a spokesperson who is introduced as "a parent," allows the argument to be made by a disinterested citizen instead of a partisan government.
Province Wide
Testing This ad tells us that "higher standards are putting kids
first" which provides a reinforcement to "Harris Speaks" whose tag
line is "Let's put our children first." Also note the use of a 1-800
to respond to claims that this ad provides information.
Faces The Ontario Teachers' Federation responded directly to the Harris claims by arguing that it was teachers "who were out to protect classroom education." The montage of unsmiling faces along with the ethereal music enhances the argument that the choice is stark.
Speeding Another ad from the Teachers' Federation
When governments advertise as pervasively as the Ontario government, it's difficult to tell the difference between party and government ads.
Spot the similarities between the Ontario PC Party's I'm Mike Harris, and the government of Ontario ad Harris Speaks.
Again we hear Mike Harris speak about the splendours of the Ontario in Living Legacy
Often government advertising is an adjunct to other forms of communication. Ontario Health Action Plan was not only an attempt to extract more money from Ottawa but also this spot also advertised other government publicity by showing a 1-800 number and pamphlet. Here's another one showing empty beds.
The Conservative government used simple text
on a black background and lots of numbers to mask persuasive advertising as
information in this ad about myths
on closing hospitals. Compare the austere visuals to the urgency that is
suggested in the emergency room ad
that discusses federal transfers.
Ontario Health Update offers an apparently information rich ad that belies its partisanship.