Labour’s attack ad ruled “misleading”
Now this is a serious case of egg on face. You run an ad on TV, radio and the Internet about how John Key can’t be trusted. And the Advertising Standards Authority finds that in fact it is the advertisement that can not be trusted as it is misleading.
What is interesting is that the TV and radio ads are governed by the Broadcasting Standards Authority (appointed by the Government) as “election programmes”. But because Labour placed it on You Tube, it meant the online version could be scrutinised by the Advertising Standards Authority (industry appointed).
The reason the advertisement got pinged was because Labour claimed John Key was cutting KiwiSaver in half, and the ASA found this is not factually correct. Only the employer contribution has been reduced from 2% to 4%, but the employee tax credit remains, as does the initial $1,000 and help for home loans etc.
Labour now has to decide whether to pull the advertisement from television. They do not legally have to do so, but it won’t be a good look to keep running an advertisement that has been officially found to be “misleading”.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Actually, all Labours ads could be seen to be misleading – they imply that the smiling woman on the ad is actually Helen Clark – when she looks nothing like her. Totally misleading.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
DPF, are we all so wrong? Labour ran the Johns advert to-night. They have no shame.
Bastards.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Is there anything about Labour’s campaign that isn’t misleading?
October 29th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Why shouldn’t election ads on TV and radio also be subject to the BSA?
Surely as voters the party jingles should be mostly factual and correct.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’m hopefully waiting for the broadcasters to run the ad with a warning to viewers along the lines that the “ASA has decided the following ad contains misleading information” …
October 29th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Why don’t the Liarbore bullshit artists not go the whole hog and claim JK has the birthmark 666 on his arse. Given the amount of braindead fuckwits out in lefty la la land this ad would probably deliever the killer blow.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
this was the rotfl development of the day, imho
October 29th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I think this is another example of how Labour have polluted the public service. Note that an outfit where the appointees are selected by Labour say that Labour are okay.
But an outfit where the appointees are not selected by Labour categorically say that the advert is misleading.
Please, John Key; give us an undertaking that steps will be taken to get rid of this distasteful behaviour.
October 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
One Mzzzz Helen Clark said to the other made up Mzzzzzz Helen Clark “Roses are red, violets are blue, I am a Schizophrenic and so am I”
October 29th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
You have to have a huge amount of admiration that John Key has not stooped to the level of Mzzzzzzzzzzz Clark……
October 29th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Ding dong the Witch is dead…the Wicked Witch is DEAD!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Good story in the Dom Post
“On attack with two Johnnies THE LONG VIEW – RICHARD LONG”
The Dominion Post | Tuesday, 28 October 2008
So it was no wonder that Labour, backs against the wall, decided on the clever “two Johnnies” attack adverts this time, with more, apparently, to come. And no wonder that National, trying to project the image of leader John Key as Mr Nice Guy, and trying to attract more of the women’s vote, decided against responding, though someone would have had a field day working up the images.
Just imagine a recreated TV clip of Miss Clark’s 170kmh Crown limousine trip through Canterbury, the landscape disappearing in a blur of power posts and white picket fences, while Miss Clark, with her head down, repeatedly chants she does not know what speed she is going.
Imagine the satire on her forged painting, its recovery and ritual burning, manoeuvring Police Commissioner Peter Doone out of office, the repeated instructions to a reluctant Parliamentary Service after the last election to pay Labour’s spending bills because the expenditure was “approved”.
But, alas, in spite of the entertainment value, this is not to be. Labour’s focus groups will have advised that Mr Key has to be damaged for Labour to recover. Accordingly he must be portrayed as inexperienced, duplicitous and, if possible, linked to the far Right and the world financial crisis.
But National will have been told by its groups that while the electorate is fed up with the incumbents, it does not want too much of an upheaval. Too many are being suckled by middle-class welfare devices for that. The message is for more of the comfort, but less of the anti- smacking, light-bulb and shower- nozzle restrictions.
In any case, National attack adverts would look increasingly out of place considering the parlous state of the world financial system.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4741650a1861.html
October 29th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Misleading. False. Incorrect. Not true. A big fat lie. Bullshit.
Labour: This ones about male bovine waste.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Labour’s ad appears to have gone from You Tube, or have they just shifted it elsewhere
October 29th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
“But National will have been told by its groups that while the electorate is fed up with the incumbents, it does not want too much of an upheaval. Too many are being suckled by middle-class welfare devices for that. The message is for more of the comfort, but less of the anti- smacking, light-bulb and shower- nozzle restrictions.”
Bullshit. Liarbore have influenced the market through exclusive access throughout their term of govt and efficient use of propaganda. As a result the political centre in NZ has shifted markedly to the left over their nine year term.
You have two choices: accept it or play their game. Propaganda has limited effect: it’s very superficial both in terms of the timeframe the effect lasts and also in the depth to which it penetrates. You don’t need to scratch very deeply to find the traditional values and these are independent of both socio-economic and educational status since like character, they are transmitted through a person’s upbringing. National if the had a clever advertising guru on their campaign team (which they obviously don’t) would be aiming their ads at those values and attempting to surface them.
As Ansell has pointed out you can use humour to remove the barb and since nothing is more emotive than humiliation, a risky but very effective strategy would be to point out to the sheeple the various ways that Liarbore have been playing them like a violin all these years. There is plenty of ammo, it just has to be used wisely.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
By not responding in kind, Key is putting himself several cuts above the opposition. Labour is appealling to the lowest common demominator, which is historically were they have generated their greatest following. (ie.the lower socio economic group) What Labour fail to understand however, is just because this group may might not be financially well off, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they are ‘dumb’. I believe this campaign will backfire on them, and bite them where it hurts.
October 29th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
They just ran the ad on TV3 but with the Kiwisaver section missing. So I guess they have some shame ?
October 29th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I should have added also, that one of the golden rules of marketing, is to never knock the opposition. A VERY bad move.
October 29th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I don’t think the papers will print this at least I never saw it and….. the public will care less even though it is typical of Labour by misrepresenting their true motives. Good on the Broadcasting Standard Authority. I think what is coming up about John Key’s dates in this “smoking gun” that the Herald has sensationalized will be the red herring that will hurt National.
October 30th, 2008 at 6:06 am
David,
Shouldn’t that be “from 4% to 2%”?
October 30th, 2008 at 7:05 am
They ran the Two Johns ad last night:
the kiwisaver section was refering to John’s claim not to sell it in it’s first term.
The whole thing is hypocritical, and I don’t believe even the thickest lefty believes that Helen has never said one thing and done another. The tone of the ad changes from ernest teenager mentality to tongue in cheek comical with the speed in which the ” you can trust Helen ” segment comes on at the end. I was totally unprepared for it and both my wife and I burst out laughing – the first time I’ve ever seen the ad.
If it can be argued that National produced ineffective billboards, Labour definately wasted their time making these own goal ads.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:36 am
They are. Radio and TV ads go to the BSA. Ads in other media (newspapers, pamphelts, YouTube &c.) go to the ASA.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:57 am
DPF: Do you want to have a wager on the outcome of the inevitable complaint to the BSA? I’ll bet you a latte the BSA rules that the advert is okay and is not misleading?
October 30th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I have every faith in my fellow citizens ( well at least some of them) that they will see the Labour Party campaign for what it is a desparate attempt to hold onto power whilst they will see the National party campaign articulating policies and ideas to pull the country out of teh grip of self serving socialists and communists and creating a good just society ofr all NOT just the favoured groups
The socialists campaign has backfired Just watch the result on 8th Nov The Nats/Act comfortably above the 50 point mark.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:24 am
The Nats/ACT are onto a winner.
Labour/Winston First are going down this 8 November.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
deanknight
I have every faith that when the BSA come to their decision the advert will be deemed to not be misleading.