Cleveland
Donald Trump’s campaign has rewritten the political advertising playbook when it comes to earned media. His crudely produced Instagram ads earn far more free media than what other GOP presidential campaigns were able to achieve with web ads.
But Trump and his campaign have not forayed far into the realm of flashy, traditional political advertising. Until now.
What didn’t draw much attention Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena but was consumed by all who watched was the Trump campaign’s most effective propaganda piece yet: a video meant to honor the Apollo 11 astronauts, who walked on the moon 47 years to the day.
In addition to Neil Armstrong, Ohio has given America 23 astronauts. “What is it,” a joke asks, “about your state that wants to make people flee the earth?” Home to little-known but important NASA facilities, Ohioans are extremely proud of the state’s contribution to the space program and the history of aviation.
Introducing retired astronaut Eileen Collins, who spoke in support of Trump, the aspirational video draws on an emotional soundtrack with very sharp and compelling images. The writing and themes weren’t terribly obvious at first, but there’s no doubt that the video, titled “Stars are the Limit”, was consciously written. And unlike typical Trump videos, which are blunt and in your face, all of the messages were subtly driven.
The opening theme is Ohio and its history in flight and NASA, from the Wright Brothers to Neil Armstrong and John Glenn. (As Ohio goes, they say…) Then, woven throughout in an implicit way, is that NASA is in decline. A viewer sees all of America’s accomplishments in space and wonders “why don’t we do that anymore?”
The video reminds us that in 1958, America “committed to winning.” Are we winning now?
Perhaps, as Trump jokes, America got “so sick of winning” that we bored of winning, thus NASA’s decline. Now, America relies on Russia to send humans to space. That’s not winning.
Another theme is the contribution of women to the space program, which featured the historic contributions of Eileen Collins and other women to the space program. “Soon,” the narrator tells us, “brave women emerged. Beyond breaking glass ceilings, they broke sound barriers and the earth’s atmosphere.”
Throughout the convention, Trump’s team has been bringing relatively unknown but relatable women out to speak in support of him––no doubt in no small part to cover his checkered past regarding his views of women.
Tied in with the decline of NASA and the nostalgic look at our storied past, the video concludes with an optimistic closing line tied to the campaign’s “Make America Great Again” slogan:
Conventions always have these slick videos, but perhaps the vacuum of well-produced ads from the Trump camp has observers hungry for a sense of normalcy. This was not a normal Trump ad––it was the greatest, classiest ad the Trump campaign has ever produced.
