Ad Watch- Barack Obama- "Hope, Vote"

On January 8, 2008, Barack Obama lost the New Hampshire primary to Hillary Clinton.  Inspired by his concession speech, will.i.am from the hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas, created a video for YouTube, an online video website which allows users to upload and view videos for free.  The video features clips of Barack Obama delivering his speech and various celebrities singing over him.  It was uploaded on February 2 and has received over 6 million hits.  You can view the video by clicking here.

            The video is shot in black and white and consists of images of various celebrities and Barack Obama edited together.  Occasionally, words are placed among the visuals.  The only color appears in the final frame as the word “hope”, written in white, flips to the word “vote’, written in red.  The use of color, as well as the placement in the final frame,  on the word “vote” places increased emphasis on the word, its meaning, and its intention.  The purpose of this video is to inspire you to vote for Barack Obama because of the change he can bring to American politics.  Making “vote” red emphasizes this call to action by drawing your attention to it.

This video is missing many features commonly seen in political advertising or political speech.  The video makes no mention of Barack Obama’s political party or affiliation.  There is also no mention of his opponents, policy promises, or his stance on various issues.  

The use of black and white helps to underscore the message of the video, as the image does not overpower the words.  Black and white images also evoke different feelings and emotions than color.  The images in the video are of Barack Obama from the night of the New Hampshire primary edited among video of the various celebrities singing the song.  The images are edited together in a collage style, where, often, more than one image is being shown simultaneously, often in panels side by side. 

            The emphasis is placed on the images of Obama and the celebrities but occasionally, words are shown.  These words, “yes we can”, “hope”, “change”, and “vote”, help to underscore the message.  By putting in writing for viewers to see, the words in the message are emphasized. 

            The video makes no campaign promises or statements about any political issues.  The speech refers to Obama’s belief in America’s potential.  Obama has positioned himself as the candidate for change.  His speech references historic moments in American history when Americans wanted something more and worked for it.  He refers to the Founding Fathers belief in a new nation and a president who looked skyward for a new frontier.  He spoke of all the change America has seen because of people who were willing to fight for it: the immigrants who came pursuing a dream, workers who pioneered labor laws, women who wanted their voices heard, and the men and women who stood up for equality.  The video supports the view that Obama is the candidate capable of bringing about the same groundbreaking, history-altering change inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, the suffragists, and countless others.

            However, there are no statements about how Obama plans to invoke change.  The selected portion of the speech for the video speaks only to hope for the future and the need for change.  There are no indications about what needs to change or how to implement that change.

            The overall effect of the video is inspirational.  The music is captivating and the words are powerful.  The images capture your eye and attention and the video’s star power is impressive.  One cannot help but feel moved and inspired after watching the video and believe in the person who can elicit such a reaction.

            It is clear from this video that those involved value change in our current political landscape.  The message taken from Obama’s speech is that change is possible in America and he is the man who can bring about this change.  The participating celebrities involved themselves in this video to show their support for this desire and to voice their belief in Barack Obama.

            It cannot be said, however, that they value action.  The video has no call to action, no plan for change.  It is all rhetoric.  No ideas are set forth on what to change or how to change it. 

            The video has reached a great number but it is more important to determine whether or not it has served the greater good.  The video does not inform or educate its viewer on what makes Obama a qualified candidate or on his political beliefs.  While it is important to inspire voters or encourage increased voter participation, it is irresponsible to do so without context.  By not informing the viewer what Obama stands for or what he intends to do if elected into office, the video does not work for the greater good.  It encourages people to vote for a candidate based on his rhetoric, rather than his qualifications or ideas.

On the continuum of Obama political speech, one extreme would be to encourage people to not vote for him without providing a reason and the other would be to encourage people to vote for him without providing a reason.  The ethical decision would be to encourage individuals to vote for Obama by providing reasons why he is the best candidate.  This video does not fall within two extremes but, rather, exemplifies one end of the continuum.  The video encourages individuals to vote for Barack Obama (as evidenced by the word “vote” at the end of the clip) without explaining his beliefs, his stance on various issues facing America, or even his political party.

When evaluating the ethics of this video, one must also consider the use of celebrities.  YouTube is used primarily by teens and young adults, many of whom will be able to vote in the upcoming election.  These young voters are more likely to be uneducated on the issues and more easily swayed by inspirational and powerful words.  They are also members of a generation who have grown up in a celebrity-obsessed culture.  It is possible that these viewers will be influenced by the opinions of the people in this video whom they recognize and look up to, rather than by what the candidate stands for, his position on the issues, and how he plans to implement the change he speaks so passionately about.

            Barack Obama has no responsibility for the ethics surrounding this situation.  However, those who created this video did not act ethically.  The video provides no information about Obama’s position on the various issues or how he plans to institute the change he speaks so passionately about.  The video crosses the ethical line by the inclusion of the word “vote” at the end.  The entire video is in support of Barack Obama without articulating what he stands for beyond hope and change.  Encouraging individuals to vote for a candidate on the basis of a speech that includes no stance on an issue does not act within the ethical principles previously set forth.  It does not act in the interest of the greater good because it does not educate the viewer on Barack Obama’s views and policy.  It does not find the middle ground of encouraging voters to vote for Obama on the basis of his ideals but, rather, encourages them to vote based on the power of his words instead of the power of his ideas for change. 

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

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