Diana I. Li Lee
Susan Savaria
ENL 101-6103
9 December 2014
Commercial Analysis: Catholic Anti- Abortion ft. Obama
Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in the United States today. In a 41 second video advertisement, sponsored by Catholicvote.org, begins the image of a fetus projected in an ultrasound screen with these words: “This child’s future is a broken home. He will be abandoned by his father. His single mother will struggle to raise him. Despite the hardships he will endure, this child will become the 1st African-American President”(catholicvote.org) It featured a photo of president Obama and concludes, “ Life. Imagine the potential” (catholicvote.org). The ad encourages pregnant women who want to abort a child to do otherwise, by featuring a fetus becoming the first black president in America’s history. However, the ad only advertises saving the fetus life, but doesn’t show how in one of a million that one particular fetus that the mother is carrying will become the next president. A mother who is not financially stable, or is experiencing some kind of violence, that will have an negative impact on the child and herself; she will need some kind of reassurance of success and well being for the child if she chooses not to abort.
Catholicvote.org is an organization that focuses on demonstrating Christ beliefs. They find that principles are good and true, and worth fighting for. They strongly promote motherhood, and offers protection and resources that religious women deserve. This organization belief that “ the death penalty is an unnecessary legal penalty in this developed world.” Which provokes the organization to create a pro-life ad like “ Imagine the Potential”, which is one of their most popular topic.
The ad’s visual plays a huge role to make the ad effective. The beginning image of the fetus in the ultra-sound, is contrasting how they later present the image of President Obama. Throughout the ad, a violin is been played with fast chords, which gives the audience a sense of suspense, and mellow chord that makes the audience more sentimental about the subject. The image of the fetus is in black and white, which represents two opposite sides, like, right and wrong, dark and light, and so on. Today’s media uses black and white images to show sad moments or to show someone who is incapable to take control over a traumatic situation. In this case, the fetus is the victim of abortion and has no control over it. The ad transitions to a video clip of people cheering, at what it seems like someone on stage. This clip is presented with audio where people are cheering. After, the image of President Obama smiling appears in colors and the words “Life, Imagine the potential” which visually means that it’s the light at the end of the tunnel and the possibility of the fetus becoming the next president.
The message of ad also plays a role to make it effective. If the message is not relevant to the visual, the information will not get across the screen. Also, in this particular ad, the ad is denied from been aired on CNN, because the ad’s makers did not have permission of President Obama to appear on the ad. (Edwards, Jim) This shows that the ad is already failing to make it to the screens of people at home and how the ad contents false information. Which brings up questions like, the pregnancy of Obama’s mother. There are no evidences found about Obama’s mother having the choice to abort Obama. The content of false information can damage the organization reputation and also the respect of the audience becomes absent. Therefore Obama is not the best figure to demonstrate possible future for babies that are victim of abortion.
Another important factor to consider when creating an effective ad is the audience’s feelings and experience. The