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Campaign Television Spots:
The Ten Commandments by Bocotton Stormfield 
1. THOU SHALT NEVER hire political operatives or “campaign specialists” to create spots.
2. THOU SHALT NEVER hire friends or associates of political operatives or “campaign specialists” to create spots.
3. THOU SHALT ALWAYS hire an outstanding COMMERCIAL advertising agency or a COMMERCIAL production company to create your spots. This agency or production company should have monster chops, an impressive commercial reel and a wall full of awards. They’ll create brilliant spots that will get your message across and help you WIN. Yippieeeeee!!
4. THOU SHALT NEVER memorize a script for a television commercial. PHONY BALONEY! DON’T DO IT!
5. THOU SHALT ALWAYS be natural. Realty is in! If you’re running for public office you should be able to articulate what you believe without a script. Your production team can edit together wonderful, BELIEVABLE spots from a (campaign-produced) documentary interview (See 1992 Clinton spots, The Man from Hope.) Since you own the footage (see Commandment # 6 below,) you can relax and speak from the heart. Spontaneous. BELIEVABLE. Trustworthy. If the people believe you, they will love you, even if they don’t agree with everything you say or do. Your producers can also use your unscripted remarks at rallies and even particularly strong performances in a debate to create powerful spots. (see the 1960 Kennedy campaign spots.)
6. THOU SHALT ALWAYS take a DOCUMENTARY FILM CREW around with you on the campaign trail. Your editors will have a wealth of great material to show people the real you, interacting with real people in real places. In other words: BELIEVABLE, NOT FAKE! And the great thing about it is that the campaign controls the images. This one supercritical factor makes it worth doing. Your documentary filmmakers should have monster filmmaking chops, an impressive body of other work and a wall full of awards, too. They’ll make you look good. This footage will also be, in and of itself, an important historical document.
7. THOU SHALT NEVER listen to your pollster for advice on your wardrobe or your hair color.
8. THOU SHALT ALWAYS pay your campaign managers, strategists and pollsters with fees, NOT COMMISSIONS!!
9. THOU SHALT NEVER pay media commissions to political consultants (see Commandment #10.)
10. THOU SHALT ALWAYS let your COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING AGENCY take the media commissions. Unlike your political consultants, they’ll earn it all and more. |
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