Analyzing Obama Campaign Ad: Ready My Plan

The paper analyzes Obama Campaign Ad: Ready My Plan, discussing theories of political campaign, rhetorical situation, and Aristotelian rhetorical theory. It also provides recommendations on what needs to be added to the ad.

Running head: READY MY PLAN
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Obama Campaign Ad: Ready My Plan
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Obama Campaign Ad: Ready My Plan
The paper analyzes of Obama Campaign Ad: Ready My Plan (Obama Campaign Ad:
Read My Plan, 2012). The ad was Obama's last message to the Americans before the 2008
presidential election. The paper starts by describing theories regarding elements and strategies of
the campaign ad (Cutlip, 2012). Furthermore, it discusses the application of the methods vis-à-
vis Obama campaign ad. In the last section, it provides a conclusion as well as recommendations
on what needs to be added to the ad.
Theories of Political in Political Campaign
Theories of persuasion and relationships
Currently, the theories of persuasion and relationships are predominantly used both
theoretically and practically. There are various publications and business periodicals revealing
how these theories are applied in practical applications. However, it is important for one to
understand how these theories apply and how they can be used. Most strategies used in such
cases involve engaging the audience in a purposive communication with the major goal of
convincing people in a way. The primary element in these theories involve change of opinion in
terms of having or lacking significant information. According to the social scientist Herbert I.
Schiller, information is power and is obtained from controllable sources in business, education
and top state leaders. This information can only reach the public through disseminators;
however, its flow is controlled by public relations professionals. Public relations professionals
make use of the combination of power and persuasion to get access and utilize the information.
Elements such as the great image battle, source credibility and audience analysis should be
considered in these theories. Based on Aristotle’s description of persuasion, he explains that
persuasion may be triggered by the audience when a speech influences their emotions. Human

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judgement in most cases varies when we are pleased and pained. Following Aristotle’s argument,
a number of ideals can be learned. First, the reaction of the hearers can be an indicator of
persuasion and secondly, the speaker must trigger some emotions among his audience.
The former U.S president Obama can be a great example of personnel who mostly used
persuasion and relationship theories in most of his speeches. He is described as a powerful
rhetoric and captivating oratory. He was able to become a national figure and a democratic
presidential nominee based on his speeches. He made passionate speeches that drew many
followers during his campaign rallies. Most people applauded him based on his campaign speech
and most believe that he is so special because of his rhetoric and oratory elements. A question
many people ask is to what makes Obama’s speeches so special compared to other figures. Most
people tend to believe that the reality that he introduces, the style he uses, his topics
argumentation and appeals play a significant role in making his speeches special. The Obama
campaign therefore elicited extensive debates not only for being the first American president but
also for possessing the power to persuade and influence people.
Rhetoric Situation
A political Ad has the following elements: Texts, author, audience, author, context, and
Kairos. The combination of these three elements is called the Rhetorical Situation. The "text" can
apply to any piece of rhetoric, not just written or spoken rhetoric. The text might be a persuasive
speech, a compelling image (like an advertisement), a physical object, or even a place. The
persuasive "texts" I am analyzing in this paper is a political campaign ad (Engberg-Pedersen,
2016). In examining a political ad, it helps to think about all three elements of the rhetorical
triangle to help us break down the ad further.

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Author: In political ads, the author is usually somewhat obscured. It is required by law to
identify who produced the political ad, which is why at the end of the ad you often hear
something like "I'm (Name of Politician), and I approve this message." It does not mean that
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney sat down and wrote the ads themselves, but they have endorsed
them, so it is safe to say that they know their content (Engberg-Pedersen, 2016). The actual
creators of the ad are a skilled team of many different writers, directors, and editors. So, when
talking about the authors of an ad, it is safe to say (Name of Politician) or (Name of Politician's)
camp, or (Name of Politician's) team is the author of the ad. Any of these statements is accurate.
However, sometimes political ads are created by groups not endorsed or directly controlled by
the candidate (Engberg-Pedersen, 2016). One needs to pay attention to who endorses the ad at
the end. Some groups that have their agenda will create political ads, and this is important to our
rhetorical analysis. Often in political ads, the very negative attack ads will be created by groups
not officially endorsed by the candidate (Engberg-Pedersen, 2016). A famous example was the
"Swiftboat Veterans for Justice" attack ads that ran against John Kerry in the 2004 Bush v. Kerry
campaign. • Swiftboat Vetera.
Audience: Who the text is directed toward is very important. Different audiences will
have different values and interests. When analyzing a political ad, one should think carefully
about who the audience is and try to think from their perspective as much as he can.
Furthermore, he has to keep in mind that the text might not be directed toward the audience
(Hoover, 2013). Is the ad targeting a specific audience? What are the values of that audience and
how does the ad play to those values? Is the audience sympathetic or skeptical? Is the ad rallying
the base or trying to win independent voters?

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Context: The image of a rhetorical triangle that the triangle is surrounded by setting.
Context is the broader conversation. The meaning of the advertisement is essential. What
Kairos (Striking when the Iron is Hot): A good speech or piece of rhetoric should not
only have a convincing argument, but it should also be used at the most opportune moment
(Hoover, 2013). Have you ever been in discussion with someone and after the argument is over,
you find the perfect thing to say? "I should have said that," you think, and you kick yourself for
thinking of it too late. You wouldn't know it now because you have missed your kairotic
moment. In history's most famous kairotic moment, Marc Antony lifts the bloody toga of the
recently slain Julius Caesar during his funeral oration to provoke the crowd to pity and win the
Roman public to his side.
Aristotelian Rhetorical Theory
According to Aristotelian rhetorical theory, there are three rhetorical appeals: Ethos,
logos, and pathos. However, it is not necessary for a campaign or an advert to have the three
elements. In academic writing, logos and ethos are given more respect than pathos (Biesecker,
2009).
Ethos: Ethical appeal is the use of ethos in writing and oral campaign. One ought to know
that the word ethos is different from the usual understanding of the word ethical. “The word
ethos is used to mean the audience perception of the author’s credibility or authority. There are
two types of ethos; extrinsic ethos and intrinsic ethos. Extrinsic ethos refers to the author’s
professionalism such as education,” (Flower, & Hayes, 2010). On the other hand, intrinsic refers
to the manner how the author speaks and writes.
Similarly, logos refer to the use of a logical appeal. However, an individual has to
understand that a statement, whether in writing or oral form, does not have to be considered

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reasonable to a logical appeal (Albritton, & Manheim, 2013). As an observer, one can recognize
that the author is trying to use logos to convince the audience; however, the recognition does not
mean that he is succeeding (Rorty, 2016). Scholars use the term logos to describe the type
rhetorical of appeal being conveyed. Its purpose is not asses and evaluate whether the request
makes sense or not. In other words, “logos are the use of coherent strategies to persuade the
audience. If a statement is making any attempt of convincing the audience by using logical
reasons and providing evidence, then it is a logical argument. There are various ways of making
logical arguments,” (Botan, 2017). The first one is the cause of consequences: Here, the claim of
one thing or event causes another. The second one is the analogy. In this type, the author uses
compassion to drive his or her point home. The third strategy is testimony and authority. Here,
the author uses the opinion and ideas of someone that respected by the audience to persuade
them. Definition: It is a claim about the nature or meaning of something. Syllogism: "It is a claim
using deductive logic involving a major premise, a minor premise, and conclusion (Walker,
2010). It is a move from the general to the specific.". The last strategy is supporting a generality
with illustrations. It is a claim using inductive logic where specific examples support the general
statement about something.
Analysis of the Obama Campaign Ad: Ready My Plan
This ad puts the context of the 2012 campaign front and center. What were the significant
issues and circumstances of that campaign? The ad notes some of them (Bergkvist, & Rossiter,
2018). First of all, in 2012 Americans were still struggling through The Great Recession; they
were involved militarily in Afghanistan; they were aware of the problems of oil dependency and
the threat of global warming, and they were worried about the effects of outsourcing American
manufacturing jobs (Bitzer, 2018). The ad lists some other concerns that were on the audience's

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collective minds as well. In this ad, Obama responds to these outside forces directly, but in many
commercials, the context is implied. If the ad is about creating jobs, the context is the recession.
If the ad is about using clean energy, the context might be global warming. These are broad
notions of context, but there is a more immediate context here as well (Rice & Atkin, 2012). In
this ad, Obama notes that it is the final weeks of the campaign, so the context of this ad is a
closing message. It's essential in a closing message (just like conclusion paragraphs in an essay)
to sum up and reinforce your main points and to call your audience to action. A "call to action" is
a type of context that has to do with saying the right thing at the appropriate time. The ancient
Greeks had a term for this as well.
The author of the ad is Barrack Obama. He is the presidential candidate under Democrats.
Likewise, I can say The Wall Street Journal played a role in the publication of the ad. Therefore,
it is logical to argue that the author of the ad is the Wall Street Journal. In this case, the author of
the campaign ad is either the actual rhetor is the publisher itself. Consequently, the ad addresses
the Americans Obama (“Campaign Ad: Read My Plan," 2019). Obama wants his message every
American who would participate in the 2008 presidential elections. It aims at winning more
voters to his side. The kairos moment that the ad reveals relate to terrorism, unemployment, and
lack of adequate resources in America. In 2008, there was a severe war in Afghanistan, and the
president promised to end the war if he would be elected as the president of the U.S. Therefore,
coming up with the right policies at the right moment paved an avenue an avenue to the White
House.
Crucially, the author uses ethos to persuade the audience (the Americans). Obama is
eloquent, learned and speaks with vigor. His personality is charming, and this is persuasive
enough to win the hearts of the American. He introduces his speech by giving examples to attract

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the attention of the audience. Furthermore, he uses gestures to make his message more
meaningful (“Campaign Ad: Read My Plan," 2019). Besides, he maintains eye contact with the
audience where necessary to ensure that the audience remains active throughout the speech.
Evidenced in the ad, Obama is well-informed. He is well acquainted with information
concerning statistics on the percentage of the population of unemployed individuals. At the same
time, he is a position to trace the achievement of other leaders such as Senator Mike Lee. In
general, it is correct to say that the author (Obama) is aware of American history.
The other strategy that comes out clearly in the ad is logos. The author uses logic to pass
the message to the audience. Here, the ad applies the use of examples as an approach of
persuasion. For instance, Obama says, “we have much more to do to get back to work and make
the middle-class security, and now Governor Romney believes that even with bigger tax cuts for
the wealthy and fewer regulations on Wall Street.” (“Campaign Ad: Read My Plan," 2019)
Furthermore, the ad uses cause and consequences to convince the Americans that he is the right
candidate (Sulkin, & Swigger, 2018). According to him, poor leadership in the main reason for
issues such as unemployment, the high cost of living, and the war in Afghanistan. Lastly, the
uses pathos styles in various instances. For example, Obama introduces the ad by saying, “If I
can sit down with you in your living room and around the kitchen table and here’s what I’d say
Mike took office, we were losing nearly eight hundred thousand jobs a month, and we were
mired in Iraq today.” (Semetko, Blumler, Gurevitch, Weaver, & Barkin, 2013). The statement
evokes the feeling of sorrow and makes the audience to feel that they are part of the problem
America faces. Hence, this prepares the audience to get ready for the message the author is about
to convey in the ad.

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Recommendations and Conclusion
In a nutshell, I would say that the ad follows the theories of rhetoric situation. It contains
the elements discussed in theory: author, audience, context, and kairos. Furthermore, it
incorporates the three the strategies of Aristotelian situation theory; logos, pathos, ethos. It was
the last ad that made Obama to win the 2008 presidential elections. Significantly, the ad is short
and takes about 2.05 minutes: This is necessary as it eradicates the unnecessary information that
would have made the ad boring (Zhang, & Cameron, 2013).
On the other hand, I suppose the ad would have use rhetorical situation style known as
"testimony logos." In this style, an author uses the opinion of his opponents to win the voters to
his side. In general, I would say that this is a marvelous campaign ad that is persuasive and
capable of winning the hearts of a broad spectrum of audience.

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