In ad analysis, the NYT takes a look at the prevalence of babies in recent GOP ads.
Babies are one of the oldest props in politics and advertising, whether they are being kissed at campaign rallies or swaddled in fresh linens in a commercial for laundry detergent. And, of course, a little girl starred in the grandfather of all attack ads, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 “Daisy” commercial.
But this year babies have surfaced in ads designed to help Republicans chip away at the overwhelming support the president enjoys among women.
In one new ad, a worried mother jogs down the street, pushing her daughter in a stroller. “I run to forget — forget about my problems,” she says. “Now we’re facing another recession. The future is getting worse under Obama.” The camera then cuts to her daughter, whose face puckers as if she is about to burst into tears.
In another new ad from Mitt Romney features a mother reading to her infant daughter. “Goodnight Moon” perhaps? “The Giving Tree”?
“Hey, it works for Johnson & Johnson, so there’s no reason it wouldn’t work in politics,” said Alex Castellanos, a Republican advertising consultant.
