Liberal bring out new ads

The Ontario Liberal party released two new ads on YouTube Thursday night. They feature leader Premier Kathleen Wynne strolling through an average Ontario neighbourhood, talking directly to the camera.

There is one video aimed at the Progressive Conservatives and another aimed at the New Democrats. Their timing is a bit odd — the night before the long weekend. Two weeks from the presentation of the budget. Experts I spoke to say the Liberals seem to be trying to set the tone of the election, before there is even a vote of non confidence.

“I don’t believe leaders should hide behind ugly personal attack ads and I don’t believe voters like it either.”

Kathleen Wynne says, instead, she’s criticizing her opponent’s record: “Tim Hudak and the Conservatives don’t support labour in the province.”

“I do think it’s interesting to turn around and attack your opponent after trying to make the point that attack ads are not the way she’d like to do business.”

“I like her, I do like her, but I hate the commercials. Everyone goes against each other. I think they should just talk about themselves and blow their own horn instead of talking about everyone else.”

Communications Strategist Laura Babcock says the premier does come off looking down-to-earth: “And they also show low budget, low production values, which shows she’s not going to spend money unnecessarily.”

“We’re more likely to forget it’s an ad, and think it’s an honest chitchat, so it’s very clever. The other thing is that the ad looks completely unstaged. There’s even a pile of yard waste that’s sitting on the curb getting in the shot, which looks like any neighbourhood in Canada. It makes us think, hey, she’s not wasting money.”

Marvin said: “I thought her attempt to walk down a middle class street, demonstrating she was an ordinary person on an ordinary street — interesting choice, nice tone to strike. Didn’t seem over acted, it seemed real.”

Marvin Ryder from Degroote School of Business says the Liberals are clearly gearing up for a spring election, and trying to set the tone: “The last time the NDP were in office, 1 in 8 of us was out of work.”

Ryder likes the subtle footnotes showing where Wynne gets her information, and how she strategically doesn’t mention the past — only future plans. Still: “I don’t think anyone’s going to miss the fact that this is a cleverly guilded attack ad.”

So it looks like the Liberals do not expect the NDP or the Tories to support the May 1st budget. If they don’t, the Premier has to call an election and we would go to the polls, likely sometime in June.