Category: Politics

What makes a voice over in a political commercial compelling, interesting, and trustworthy?

Political scientists tell us that political advertising is only marginally effective.  Then why do campaigns make political commercials? Because even the slimmest margin in a winner-take=all political race makes a huge difference.

Political literature also tells us that the most effective political ads share common elements: They’re brief and to the point; they attempt to build trust in the candidate or issue; and they raise and answer questions , compelling voters to choose a side.

Short and Sweet

Television viewers have been trained to digest content in 30- and 60-second clips. This format was the standard – and still is – for most television advertising, including political commercials. Even as the advertising industry tells us that 15-second ads are nearly as effective as 3-0-second ones at half the cost, it continues to promote the longer ad. But think of it this way: people’s attention span is short and getting shorter.  You have 8 second to grab their attention before they go to another website. So it’s critical to get your message across very quickly.

A compelling voice over in your campaign ad can be the difference between an ad that grabs web visitors’ attention and one that doesn’t.  Making complicated issues and information make sense in 15 second or less is not easy – but the payoff for the extra effort used in creating a shorter ad is a more engaged audience.

Build Trust Through Transparency

Voters want to connect with their candidates in a way that makes them feel like they know the person the candidate really is. Their vote is valuable to them, and they don’t want to give it to just anybody.  This is one way that biographical ads are effective; they give the voter “insider” information or expertise they feel they need to make a good voting choice.

Winning votes is largely a popularity contest:  Voters choose who they like over who can prove having voters’’ best interests at heart. Counter-intuitive?  Sure. But tried and true. Biographical ads or personality pieces can portray the candidate as honest, friendly, or experienced, and create a feeling of trust.

Giving voters an inside look at whom the candidate is, voters believe they understand candidates’ personalities and philosophies better than through policy ads.  And a great way to deliver that personality is through effective political voice overs.  The right political voice actor can present a candidate in a way that his or her own voice might not.

Motivating Voters Through Online Advertising

Online political advertising and social content isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Google and the Federal Election Commission estimate that $1.9 billion will be spent on online ads alone for the midterm election season. But certainly, not all of that money is spent wisely by political campaigns.

With social media, email, and website content being so critical to shaping political  opinions and creating a cohesive, actionable message, it’s critical that the political ads campaigns use be produced for online use as well as traditional media.

For reputable, trustworthy, motivational voices, choose a voice over actor from PoliticalVoiceTalent.com.

Connecting to Voters in 2018 Means Connecting Online

We Americans commonly, collectively assume that voters feel connected to political candidates before they vote for them. Certainly, the Democratic and Republican parties both have stepped up their effort to align themselves with voters in digital advertising and social media in recent elections.

Candidates use data to target specific constituencies, plan ad buys to target specific demographics, and tailoring outreach campaigns to target specific online properties – just as campaign managers have been targeting specific TV programs for decades to attract some groups of voters. One can even argue that this online, social dynamic is changing political parties and their platforms (and whether it’s for the better is for each voter to decide).

Social Media and Politics

Using technology in campaigns isn’t a new phenomenon. Clearly, mobile communications, social networks, and websites were used successfully in 2008 to propel Barack Obama to the White House. Political analysts suggest that Obama’s “Change” campaign created a sense of connection among voters that hadn’t existed before they connected using technology.

While there’s no telling how closely the administration actually governed to its adherents’ philosophies, it’s apparent that people were excited and engaged by the use of online content and social platforms, and that some voters have come to expect that level of engagement (and suggest that this is an area where Hillary Clinton fell short, while Donald Trump was aptly able to create emotion, excitement, and energy with his Tweets and other social content.

Political Video Ads Online

Very recent campaigns have melded social media with effective political campaign ads. Trump utilized video clips from his rousing public rallies to generate video content that could be presented as ads on websites. The idea that TV ads brought candidates straight into voters’ living rooms has leaped to the web, where candidates can be in notifications,  text links, audio and video on a constant basis.

Voters may not learn a lot from watching election videos, but they do pay attention to them, so it’s critical for campaigns to choose the right political voice over artist to attract and keep voters’ attention and stick in their memory.

Of all the voices out there, there are only a few dozen voice-over artists whose voices appear in the majority of U.S. political ads. That’s why PoliticalVoiceTalent.com works with voice over actors who have built reputations for effective commercials.

With the average 8 seconds you have to get a voter’s attention online, you need an effective, memorable political voice.

Here at PoliticalVoiceTalent.com, we’ve seen all kinds of political advertisements. Negative. Positive. Factual. Non-factual. Effective. Un-effective. We believe first and foremost that the voice of the commercial is most important: Is it relatable? Local? Trustworthy? Our professional political voice over actors provide the voice for political ads on a national, state, or local basis.

We know what goes into the best political ads. Here are the key elements to a successful political commercial, and to choosing a voice for your radio or TV ad campaign.

Emotion

Political campaigns want to stir up emotion to compel you to vote – and to vote for their candidate. Political ads can be designed to make you happy about your current situation, or angry, or feel safe (or unsafe) or elicit approval (or disapproval) of the candidate.

Political ads often use imagery associated with children to build positive or sympathetic emotion in voters. Other ways to build positive feelings include imagery associated with financial success or lifestyle. Typically, eliciting positive emotions is a tactic used by incumbents.

On the other hand negative emotions (especially fear) can be used to compel a voter to vote for a candidate – often an insurgent. Playing on fears – of insecurity, whether financial, governmental, or familial – can be an effective way to get attention. Fear and other negative emotions can backfire, though, and create the type of anxiety that might case voters to want to stay at home on Election Day.

Our expert voice-over actors know how to create urgency and expertise, and we can help find the right political voice for your particular campaign.

Persuasiveness (Trust)

You know the old saw… No one trusts politicians. And that remains a reality in the Unites States’ electoral system today, though sometimes it seems people do trust politicians: they trust the incumbent to serve their interests, or they trust an insurgent to provide the representation they’ve been lacking.

Building trust means not relying just on the words of the candidate, but on their record (or that of their opponent). Using reliable, reputable third-party source to back claims made in your ads is a great way to build trust and persuade voters to align themselves with your candidate

Frequently, celebrities are used to endorse politicians and to attract some voters. Finding a leading celebrity to espouse a cause may be prohibitively expensive, though, unless the celebrity is willing to provide their name, image or voice free of charge. Equally as frequent are celebrity actors in ads whose credibility on the campaign or issues is in doubt.

A professional political voice actor with experience in political ads of all kinds – negative, positive, dramatic or fact-based – can provide the vocal trustworthiness you need to create a compelling political ad.

Facts vs. Truth

Political ads frequently make claims about the state of government or society, or the actions of their opponents. But voters rarely fact-check; they are inclined to align with the candidate who is most persuasive or who appeals most to them emotionally. The claims their candidates make are rarely questioned by supporters.

We’ve even seen recent campaigns where what candidates and their supporters have “chosen to believe” in a position or viewpoint, or firmly adhere to what they “believe to be true”, and those views or beliefs may not be rooted in facts at all.

Because voters rarely fact-check, claims are frequently accepted at face value. While political wonks and journalists may use Factchecker.com or Snopes, making effective claims has little to do with facts or truth. Rather, the claim must be sold effectively.  Effective political ads’ voices make candidates’ claims on their behalf, using a voice that might be recognizable, trusted, or persuasive based on the actor’s range, style, and techniques.

Style

How a political ad uses imagery or sound uncovers stylistic choices that the ad creators made while scripting and editing the advertisement. This is true also of the political voice over, where the vocal style should complement the content and creative approach to the ad.

The commercial’s soundtrack might include the voice-over, sound effects, music, speech snippets from candidates, and other background noise. None of the techniques used in creating political ad recordings is accidental or random; each image or sound in an ad contributes to the overall desired effect, just as in cinematic or musical productions.

PoliticalVoiceTalent.com can help identify the right political voice, as well as help with techniques to create a compelling and unforgettable political ad style – one that engages voters, and gets them out to vote for your candidate.