Have ad makers found Trump’s weak spots?
Democratic ad makers have reportedly figured out the most effective ways to target President Trump, and it doesnotinclude ads dunking on him that go viral on Twitter. Also in this week’s issue:
Trump is making public art a centerpiece of his reelection message
How to protest in the sky
W’s latest painting
Yours,
Trump is making public art a centerpiece of his reelection message
Trump speaking at Mount Rushmore on Friday. Credit: C-SPAN
President Trump finally put together a consistent reelection message during his speech at Mount Rushmore Friday, positioning himself as a culture warrior against liberals that he literally claimed want to “end America.” Among his chief concerns are… statues.
Trump conflated protesters who have largely (though not exclusively) targeted confederate monuments with an attempt “to tear down statues of our founders.” He characterized the current moment as a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.”
Trump highlighted what he’s done to protect statues. He said he was deploying federal law enforcement to protect monuments and announced the creation of a statue-filled National Garden of American Heroes. He also touted an executive order he signed that sets a 10-year prison sentence on those who deface federal statues.
In many ways, Trump’s statue focus echoed his fight over NFL players kneeling during the anthem to protest racial injustice. It’s a fight over symbols.
In the U.S., secular patriotic symbols like the flag and monuments have often been elevated to a quasi-religious status and Trump aims to be their orthodox defender. But what one person sees as sacrilege — like kneeling during the anthem — another sees as a moral statement. To those calling for the removal of Robert E. Lee statues, it’s not about erasing heritage, it’s about tearing down false idols.
Trump’s comments at Mount Rushmore noticeably omitted his support for confederate monuments, as well as his opposition to renaming military bases named after confederate generals and NASCAR’s decision to ban the confederate flag. Still, he’s made clear he’s the champion for those who believe taking down confederate monuments is erasing our history as well as those who believe it’s a slippery slope to pulling down George Washington statues.
Trump said protesters were “toppling the heroes of 1776” when in actuality most have been toppling the villains of 1861. As the nation faces an unprecedented reckoning over race — Black Lives Matter may well be the largest movement in U.S. history — Trump might find himself out of step with rapidly shifting popular opinion.
Promising to build a park for statues won’t stop the aggressive spread of the coronavirus. Other than sculptors, it won’t add many jobs to the economy. It is an attempt to move symbols to the center of the 2020 race, though, which is his strong suit. Trump’s pushing for a culture wars election.
Have ad makers found Trump’s weak spots?
Screenshot of a Priorities USA ad. Credit: Priorities USA/YouTube
Progressive ad makers from groups like Priorities USA and American Bridge are focusing heavily on what messages influence swing voters, according to Politico. They’re holding focus groups, tracking voters’ media consumption habits, and seeing what attacks move the needle. Here are some of their findings, per Politico’s report:
The ads that go viral on political Twitter often aren’t any good at convincing voters. “You test those ads, and more often than not they backlash … they can move voters toward Trump,” said Patrick McHugh, Priorities USA executive director.
Using Trump’s words against him usually tests well.
Charts and other graphics also test well (think: ads with charts that show rising coronavirus cases).
Some of the most effective spokespeople? Obama-Trump voters who regret their 2016 vote.
In 2016 it was common for ads to attack Trump’s character, but that didn’t work. Though many voters didn’t find Trump honest, they still voted for him. The growing consensus today is to link Trump’s character to policy and show how his behavior connects to voters’ lives. Recent events like the pandemic and protests “really made concrete for people the ways in which his leadership has direct consequences on them and their loved ones,” said Nick Ahamed, Priorities USA analytics director.
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How to protest in the sky
Between Friday and Monday, the skies over detention facilities and other locations across the country briefly had messages protesting U.S. immigration and incarceration policies.
The project, “In Plain Sight,” was a collaboration between artists, activists, and organizations to put up messages in 80 locations. They were made by skytyping planes with computer-controlled systems that used oil injected into their exhaust systems, according to the New York Times. Messages like “Care Not Cages,” “No More Camps,” and “Shame #DefundHate” were spelled out over spots including the L.A. County Jail and Ellis Island.
“This is not something the pilots have done before,” artist Cassils, who helped start the project, said of the skytyping pilots they hired. “Usually what they write looks like ‘Geico, Geico, Geico.’”
These messages were ephemeral, but their power comes from their size and placement. They’re visible to those incarcerated below as well as people miles away who posted their own images and videos of the sky writing on social media.
This AR art installation explores liberty in America
Credit: Art Production Fund
Augmented reality art has become popular during the pandemic as a way for artists to get their work out while museums and galleries are closed. Over the weekend, artist Nancy Baker Cahill released her AR art installation “Liberty Bell.” The piece was geolocated on sites on the East Coast and viewable through Cahill’s 4th Wall app on mobile devices.
The two-and-a-half minute “Liberty Bell” uses animated red, white, and blue lines that move and become increasingly chaotic over a soundtrack of music and bell sounds. It shows “how the very concept of liberty was flawed from the beginning,” Cahill told Artnet News. “You can’t talk about liberty without actively and rigorously engaging the history of slavery.”
Credit: Art Production Fund
Ultimately, the piece has a hopeful message. Though the lines seem to be coming apart, they don’t.
“There’s this moment of real discomfort and struggle as the piece goes through its animation,” Cahill said. “It gets increasingly agitated and chaotic, and yet it remains intact.”
*Begins chanting USA! USA!* 😤🇺🇸
“Is Hollywood serving as a PR arm for law enforcement”?
Credit: the Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter is out with a cover story about the popular and lucrative cop show genre, which has been dubbed “copaganda.” The cover was illustrated by artist Edel Rodriguez.
“Hollywood and the police: a deep, complicated and now strained relationship” includes data from a report on bias and representation in crime shows by the group Color of Change. Released in January, the report found that in 26 scripted crime series in 2017 and 2018, only 9% of writers were Black. It also found that current and former police, FBI, or military personnel often consulted on these shows.
“We hope that people will recognize all the ways in which the unwritten rules about policing, about racism, are oftentimes written and exported by their industry,” said Rashad Robinson, Color of Change executive director. “It raises the question, 'Is Hollywood serving as a PR arm for law enforcement that are hurting and killing people?’”
These mask ads from Montana are very good
Credit: Governor Steve Bullock/Facebook
These social graphics encouraging men to wear face coverings were shared by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) and they’re some of the best I’ve seen that specifically target men.
Because men are less likely than women to take health precautions seriously, it’s important to tailor public health messaging to them, especially during a pandemic. These ads compare mask wearing for the purpose of preventing the spread of the virus to wearing face coverings for traditionally masculine activities, like fishing and hunting.
I wrote previously about the challenges that come with advertising public health messaging to men and you can read that story here. I also added these Montana graphics to my list of coronavirus PSAs from around the world that you can read here.
W’s latest painting
Credit: @georgewbush/Instagram
Every time former President Bush posts a painting on Instagram, I’m like, oh yeah, the 43rd president of the United States is a budding artist. W posted this image of a flag painting on the Fourth of July and I dig it. The painting really has a sense of movement and depth.