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Archives for October 2019

Valuable Voice Over in the Billion Dollar Spend on Political Ads

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As an actor who’s voiced tens of thousands of commercials, (hundreds of them, political ads) of course I am going to advocate securing a strong, capable voice over talent to drive your candidate’s message home to their constituents. Really good ad makers know your hired-gun storyteller is more than just an audio-element afterthought. As the LA Film School says “poor audio can ruin the best visuals.” What’s the value of voiceover? Let’s break down the cost of political ad sound-scape in the context of the multi-billion dollar 2020 spend.

Money and politics are obvious BFFs, attached at the hip, the “life of the party”, buying everyone drinks until closing time. Money = influence = power isn’t a new concept by any means, but the numbers just keep getting bigger and bigger as media platforms get more tech-heavy and prevalent. As I mentioned in my post on the Timeline of Political Advertising, the 2020 elections will see digital and tv spending on advertising surpassing all previous campaign cycles. And after recent changes to campaign finance laws, there really is no end in sight.

Recent Political Spending (Without Voice Over in Mind)

We’ll get to the voice over spend, but before we do, let’s look at recent totals. Just in the last four years, the tally in campaign spending has risen exponentially. The 2016 presidential and congressional elections clocked in with $6.5 Billion – $6.8 Billion in total spending (sources differ on the total, so let’s just call it a whopping gob of money). $2.4 Billion give or take of that spending was on the tug of war for president with the remaining $4.1 Billion or so on congressional races. The tally includes spending by campaigns, party committees, and outside sources. The 2018 Mid-term elections smashed the now measly $4.1 Billion to land solidly above $5 Billion (that’s a 25% increase). According to the website VOANews, the 2020 campaign is slated to be the costliest in history.

Where Do the Multi-Billions for Political Campaigns Come From?

Thanks to the Supreme Court cases Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission the floodgates have been opened and corporations, unions, other groups for political campaigns as well as individual donors to federal campaigns and political parties have turned their contributions to political campaigns up to 11. (a.k.a billions)

And as a counterbalance to the narrative of big corporate greed and influence in politics, many campaigns have turned grass-roots and are only taking small-dollar donations (though these come from donors numbering in the millions).

For his part, Donald Trump never stopped campaigning, rolling his 2016 election campaign directly into a bid for 2020 and with the Democratic roster of candidates the longest in history, requiring earlier announcements and much longer runs at raising money, basically everyone and their dog has and will continue to have ample opportunity to contribute financially to the political races in the US.

Where Does Voice Over Fit in the Political Spend?

Every campaign spends money a little differently, depending on what the candidate and their teams have decided are the priorities, but in general, some areas for spending by campaigns (taken from Metrocosm.com’s awesome post Where Does All That Campaign Money Go?) include:

Administration (not including payroll)
Equipment
Events
Media (yes! Here is where voice over for political ads fits in – more in a moment)
Payroll
Strategy & Research
Technology
Travel
Other Expenses

As an example, let’s look at how the Democratic presidential candidates spent money in just the first quarter of 2019. From a great article in the Washington Post, here is how some of the spending shakes out.

Two biggies, as you might imagine, are digital, and Facebook (I know, Facebook seems like it should fall under digital, but hear me out).

Political Digital Ads Everywhere and Beyond

For any brand (and yes, every candidate is a brand) traditional advertising venues, such as TV, newspaper and radio ads don’t cut it anymore. Consumers (and voters) are everywhere and so like Coke and Pepsi, political advertising has to be everywhere – on Google, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, on phones, laptops, computers, TVs, radios, and streaming services.

But going beyond the definition of “digital” for our purposes, let’s include email lists, direct e-mail campaigns, social media followers and web content.

Average costs look like this according to webfx.com:
TV advertising – $63 thousand to $8 million for design and production setup costs per ad with the average cost of a 30 second buy around $392 thousand and the cost to continue equalling the cost of the media + an agency hourly rate.
National Pay Per Click marketing – $4 thousand to $10 thousand in setup costs, $0.05 to $3.00 per qualified visitor with the cost to continue equalling the cost of clicks + ~$1200/month to internet marketer
National Email marketing – $4 thousand to $50 thousand in setup costs, $0.05 to $3.00 per qualified visitor with the cost to continue equalling ~$500/month to internet marketer
Web Content marketing campaigns – $6 thousand to $12 thousand in setup costs, but the cost to maintain is free (if the content is “evergreen” and not subject to going stale)

So with messages coming out almost daily from and about each campaign, do the math, it adds up quickly.

Find Me (and all the Politicians) on Facebook

Even with all the controversy surrounding Facebook and influence by bad guys on voters in 2016 and beyond, candidates and campaigns are still spending on Facebook ads specifically in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In just the 1st quarter of 2019, Senator Warren tops the list with ~$617,000 spent on Facebook ads, followed by Senators Klobuchar at roughly $547,000, Harris circling $522,000 and Sanders close behind at $521,000. Though not running in the mid-terms, President Trump was among the biggest spenders on Facebook in 2018 after Beto O’Rourke and has dominated the Facebook ad spend in 2019 at around $3.8 million. (An interesting side note, the Washington Post also tracks who has been the most frugal, with Pete Buttigieg leading the pack in low burn-rate. Although a newcomer to the national stage in politics, his campaign’s media strategy has been to “get him out there everywhere” in media interviews – thus leveraging free media and social media buzz to raise his profile, despite having the 5th largest haul in donations in the first quarter out of 16 candidates).

Appraising the Audio Messenger, Your Voice Over

Content creation for campaigns is clearly a high-price tag item. Commercials, promotions, radio campaigns, social media stories, website videos and more can truly add up, and doing them well can be the difference in gaining market share and eyeballs/eardrums in a crowded political field.

Back to voice over. It’s used in TV and radio ads, web, mobile, social media and phone campaigns. For radio ads and phone campaigns, voiceover takes up to 20% of the budget. In television (like film) a general rule of thumb is that 5% goes toward audio.

A reliable, experienced, capable voiceover actor is going to deliver a campaign missive that will capture the tone of the campaign, embody the brand, communicate the positions and win hearts, minds and votes, and should not be overlooked when building content. Spending to get the very best voice artist – one who is skilled in making the message standout, persuasively hitting the important notes and garnering trust – is one of the best investments a campaign can make.

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Political Ad Spotlight – How to Win with Comparison Ads

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Shining the political campaign spotlight on comparison ads, your voice over actor plays a key role in the formula of how to win. Comparison ads and the talking points they breed get a lot of traction over the course of a political campaign. Although some believe that pointing out ideological differences between parties has devolved to name-calling and character assassination a la blood feuds of the Hatfield/McCoy or Capulet/Montague variety, comparison is actually a foundational scientific method for decision making. There is no denying it’s exceptionally hot in the toolbox and hiring the right voice over artist to deliver your political advertising message is a powerful way to win over voters.

Sorting our In-Groups – Stories that Resonate

We humans have been sorting ourselves into groups since the beginnings of our existence. In 1979, social psychologist Henri Tajfel, well known for studying aspects of prejudice and identity crafted the social identity theory that proposed that the groups in which people belonged (e.g. family, social class, sports team, church, etc) were an important source of pride and self-esteem. He said we first figure out what the groups are, then we figure out which group(s) we belong to and proceed to adopt the traits of those groups. Emotional significance and self-esteem come into play here. In-group identity is a vital part of who people are – not just an accessory to their lives. The final step is that we then engage in social comparison – telling ourselves and others stories that resonate as to why our group is best and how others fall short

The Voice Over Actor as a Political Ad Storyteller

A great professional voice over actor with an adroit understanding of social identities and groups excels at telling these stories. Digging into who is delivering the message – as an actor – and finding the truth and point of view of that group’s message brings authenticity to the political ad. It involves being able to unpack the essential points the writer has sewn into the copy of the ad. Then, your voice over actor uses pitch and tone to make the opponent or opposing view in the ad appear less than, incompetent or downright bad. A critical shift in delivery to the positive, builds up and displays the group’s proponent, idea or candidate in the best possible light.

But the political ad performance goes beyond acting 101. To ring true to constituents, it takes more than a simple “this one is bad”, to “this other one is good”. Consumers are sophisticated media connoisseurs. The tone has to match the content of the ad and take the measure of the audience and ingroup into account. Some messages lean into the dark and sinister when referencing the opponent’s past or commenting on the substance of the opposing side of the issue. In contrast, sometimes the ad is more memorable when the voice over artist lets the words do the work and delivers a lighter touch, leaving the listener to get there on their own. Directors of political ads might use descriptions to guide the voice actor performance such as “concerned”, “worried”, or even occasionally “disgusted”. The goal is to convince the audience that the opposition is not to be trusted, believed, or, ultimately, voted for.

Your Political Ad Voice Over Actor As Champion

“But wait, all is not lost…” The political ad voice over for the advocate or “good guy candidate side” of the comparison ad needs to be very solution-oriented. Their platform holds the answer. The vocal expression on this side of the spot ranges from thoughtfully positive to chest-out prideful, to confident we-got-this and beyond. The voice over champions the position and calm the listeners fears or quells their doubts. The actor’s job is to reinforce human identity here through a rich range of emotional context, not just slam the other side. The audience needs to see a positive future for themselves in the position taken in the ad.

This ability to transition from highlighting the negative to accentuating the positive in a comparison ad needs an experienced voice actor versed in subtlety. Often these ads need to sound as though a trusted friend or family member is explaining why “their side is wrong” and “our side is right”. Moving from the problem to the solution convincingly takes a capable hand.

Voice Over in Comparison Ads Helps Voters Make Fast-Paced Decisions

We as humans tend to make decisions quickly. This is partly why comparison political ads are so effective. Because they reinforce stories we’ve already chosen to identify with, this us vs. them perspective allows voters to align quickly. The world of politics is ever-changing and in today’s media world, messages need to get out into the world swiftly. A voice over pro is going to be able to sort out the message, decide on the POV and truth of the messenger, tap into the identity of the solution offered, tell that story with the proper tone, color and attitude and do it all in quick succession because turn-around times are lightning-fast and a pro’s responsiveness and skill are the keys to success. Unlike the other guys.

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What Happens When You Use Actors in Political Immigration Ads

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Immigration ignited much debate in the 2016 presidential campaign and voice actors employed in these political ads became the fuel that fanned or flagged the flames. Like another polarizing subject, climate change, immigration positions are often fraught with emotion. In my career voicing political ads I’ve found that when delivering messages from both sides of a heated argument, such as who gets to call this country home, I am often called on to employ elements of acting.

Experienced actors are trained to break down a story into its essential elements, embody characters in a real, believable portrayal and possess numerous skills needed to move an audience. This is true in every medium – film, television, on stage, and even in advertising – but especially in voiceover, where the actor doesn’t have a physical world to leverage in the performance and must rely on only their voice to personify the entire world of that character, acting training is fundamental.

The Fourth Wall in Political Ads

These days the subject of immigration, walls, and their construction can be a touchy subject. But the wall I’m referring to here isn’t a physical one. What I’m talking about here, is a theater construct called the Fourth Wall. It refers to the idea that actors must pretend that the audience does not exist and that they are truly immersed in the story. In theater, this allows the audience to maintain suspension of disbelief and feel they are also immersed. The idea is that in addition to the three walls of the stage, a “fourth wall” is built that exists between the actors and the audience, and doing anything to acknowledge the audience or remind them they are watching a play “tears down” this barrier.

In the course of voicing immigration ads, as with other polarizing subjects, often there is a desire to directly engage the audience. Rather than portraying a scenario, or simply providing information or argument, the voice over is acknowledging that an ad is playing and figuratively saying “hey, you, interested voter (or concerned fellow citizen), can we talk?”. Almost like a hand reaching out and tapping them on the shoulder. This removal or destruction of the fourth wall barrier between issue and voter is quite effective and can subtly influence the voter and inspire trust.

Telling Difficult Stories – Political Testimonial as Insightful Monologue

Another technique often used in political ads is a testimonial, where someone affected by the issue or candidate being discussed is telling their story. In theater, often characters deliver what is called a monologue which is a moment when a single character has a long speech, often to expound on emotions rather than move the plot forward. Knowing how to speak someone else’s truth and convey their emotions honestly is a master level acting skill.

Regularly in the course of casting dramatic movies or plays , actors are chosen based on who will be best suited to handle the difficult stories and characters and portray them as real people in real situations, be they villain or hero. Here too, when casting for a position advertisement discussing an issue with entrenched demarcation lines, like immigration, finding a professional political voice actor to communicate a testimonial is crucial.

A cornerstone of the immigration debate is deciding who “gets to be American”. This discussion is foundational to who we are as a country. Therefore, the political actor, no matter their personal beliefs about immigration, has to find the humanity in the monologues of the immigrant, the citizen, the border patrol agent, the DACA recipient… and the harder the story is to tell, the better the actor needs to be to tell it truthfully and respectfully.

The Sound of Silence – Knowing How to Employ Pauses Effectively

Often in the course of debating an issue, silence can be an effective tool. Taking a moment to pause, gather in emotions, consider the next words is a powerful, non-verbal communication tool. This too, is a technique rooted in theater. A dramatic pause is often employed to give a moment for the audience to consider what has just been said and have their own emotional reaction to it. Employing pauses in voiceover requires nimble and dextrous acting skills to relay with just the voice that there is a moment for consideration, instead of just a break in the dialog. The voice over actor needs to be able to allow space for the listener to have an emotional connection to the messages being delivered and this is especially true with such potent subject material.

What it means to be an American is often alluded to, or outright prescribed in political discourse. It’s one of the reasons we’ve gone to war, fought for independence, fought amongst ourselves and are still divided over how immigration is managed. Amidst such emotional discourse, it is extremely effective to employ a voice actor who is expert in breaking down the message and embodying the message with a powerful theatrical skillset.

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How Likeability is the Key to Superior Image Ad Voiceovers

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Despite our best appeals to intelligence and policy, an election is a popularity contest. One way for candidates to increase their likeability and win over voters is with a political image ad. Often the key is voice over that is likeable too. One that is relatable and friendly. Image ads introduce the candidate to voters by illuminating the candidate’s views, experiences, virtues and how they relate to voter issues in an attempt to garner votes. Choosing a congenial messenger a.k.a a great sounding voice artist, is critical to an image ad’s success.

By inviting the viewer into the candidate’s world, image ads are meant to highlight the humanity, the intelligence, the compassion, the strength, or the humility – whatever traits are sought by their constituency – and reveal who the candidate is in a way that benefits the campaign. Most importantly, they embody what their party wants the public to associate with them and what they want a voter to remember on their way into the voting booth.

Likeability and Emotions – The Positive Political Ad Voiceover

Defining likeability, and more specifically knowing how to achieve it in a meaningful way whether we are examining our positive political ad from a voiceover perspective or from its copy, involves at least some consideration of emotions. Image ads are essentially taken by the viewer to mean positive in an overarching way, even if the candidate is speaking about tough issues. According to one study on Inquiries Journal comparing positive and negative ads, it found “positive campaigning is more likely to garner a candidate a larger number of voters and said voters will also be more trusting of and optimistic about the candidate they choose to support due to the positivity of his or her campaign.” In much the same way that political attack ads play to emotions, image ads do as well, just the other end of the emotional spectrum.

More specifically, they endeavor to paint a portrait of the candidate that will bring out the Similarity Attraction Effect: We Like People Who Are Like Us. By letting voters get to know who they’re voting for, and by resonating with the voice (over) in the voters head, the idea is that they’ll start to see the candidate as “us” instead of “them”. Take that effect, mix in some association (a strategy that links the candidate to something or someone you emotionally connect with from personal experience) and a la Bob Ross bring out the “happy little trees” while painting the candidate’s life story/political views/desire to be in government, and you have a powerful depiction to use to bring voters to the fold.

The Vocal Portrait of a Candidate in a Political Image Ad

The voiceover in political image ads reinforces that portrait of a candidate vocally. The voice artist pulls from their actor’s toolkit to find the right tone to frame the image and billboard the message. And with that acting experience, they possess the nuanced skills to be able to combine that tone with an attitude, a pacing, a knowledge of when to drive a message home and when to step back and let the words take over.

For example, if an image ad is working to affect public perception of a candidate as “hard working” or “a leader”, voice over choices might counterpoint that with a light touch or underline it with an earnest tone or a “get it done” attitude. Perhaps it would lead the delivery to grow in an inspirational crescendo like a general marshalling the troops. Another candidate’s image ad might call for a comforting aspect or a bit of a quirky smile paired with the takeaway that “he’s family-oriented”. Working with the director hired by the advocacy agency or copywriter, the voice actor is going to be able to capture the humanity in the message.

In Political Ad Heart Strings – Voice Actor Plays the Emotion

Although over the years political ads that tug on heart strings have been made for both sides of the aisle , candidates in the Democratic Primary field for President in 2020, have effectively tied issues to their personalities and backgrounds. For example, Elizabeth Warren’s background as a poor kid from Oklahoma who recalls her mother’s hesitation to take her to the doctor when she was a child because of a lack of finances gives her immediate believability when talking about the punishing costs of healthcare. Pete Buttigieg’s time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan make him a credible authority on US Foreign Policy and the cost of war. Beto O’Rourke’s childhood growing up on the border of Texas and Mexico lend him a trustworthiness on positions about immigration and border security. Image ads support issue-oriented messaging and are more effective at solidifying emotional connections between candidate and viewer or listener. Anyone who has struggled or been touched by these issues may feel an affiliation to those candidates because of their image.

Laid against the backdrop of a well told story with brilliantly crafted copy, a polished or down-to-earth candidate that has a well branded message, the professional voice actor’s job is to tie these elements together vocally and play the appropriate emotion. To imbue the candidate with likeability. To sound trustworthy and persuade whoever is listening. To inspire voters to join the campaign and contribute time or money or both. To give the viewer the sense that they know the candidate and see themselves and their loved ones reflected in the messages. Doing this well involves nuance and subtlety as well as facility and flexibility. And like any good painter, it’s the artist who can do all of that who creates the masterpiece.

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