How Ad Men Are Using Hope, Dreams and Fear to Sell Americans a Candidate
A top Republican ad maker sits in the living room of his house under the Hollywood sign, explaining how he uses a three-act structure to sell a candidate. “My spots introduce the candidate in a broad, glorious, positive way,” says Fred Davis, founder of Strategic Perception, a firm that has produced GOP commercials since 1994. “In act two, we bring in conflict—maybe a jousting match between candidates over the issues,” he says, looking out past the movie studios. “In act three, my guy prevails, and we deliver an uplifting end.” On the wall hang 22 large frames with color head shots of the politicians he’s helped, including John McCain and George W. Bush. When Davis was running media earlier this year for John Kasich’s super PAC, New Day for America, his world was upended by Donald Trump’s insurgency. That hasn’t stopped him from daydreaming about how he’d advise Trump. “Maybe he’s not even in the ads,” says Davis. “It’s just people talking about their hopes and dreams…
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