Adwatch: Final Kenney commercial knocks negative Williams ad
The Kenney campaign puts their man in front of the camera to make his last pitch.
Type of Ad: Positive
Candidate: Jim Kenney
By: Kenney for Mayor
Title: "Matters"
The Basics: The Kenney campaign puts their man in front of the camera to make his last pitch. This is the final ad of the Kenney campaign and you are going to have to work hard to avoid it on TV because they have invested nearly $500,000 in ad time. This one features a casual Kenney (as casual as he can get) perched on a desk in a classroom, the collar of his blue shirt open. In 30 seconds he has the opportunity to knock the opposition for a negative ad the Williams campaign ran. It's that time in the campaign, Kenney says, "when the desperate start throwing mud. But false attacks won't do a thing to help our city or help our families in any way." Then it's off to the races, with a recitation of his support from clergy, teachers, working families "all over the city." It ends, "As mayor I'll fight for every Philadelphian, because to me every neighborhood matters." It also flashes up the fact that he was endorsed by the Daily News, Philadelphia Magazine, and the Philadelphia Gay News. Now that's a trifecta — three publications with, to say the least, diverse audiences.
Crit: Simple message, delivered simply in plain, spare prose. No fancy shots or camera angles. This ad represents a coda for the Kenney campaign. It also effectively positions him as the "unity candidate" though that phrase is never used, versus the "divisive candidate" Tony Williams, though that phrase isn't used either. The Williams negative — which made only a brief flight on TV — criticized remarks Kenney make 18 years ago about denying police the weapons they needed to combat crime. Kenney has disavowed those remarks. It was a minor blip in the campaign. But, Kenney makes the most of that one negative to pivot to him. The message: I'm not the kind of guy who stoops to conquer.
What isn't said: Had Williams and the SuperPAC that supported him gone heavy negative, I am sure the Kenney campaign had its own negatives in the can to counter any allegations made by the opposition — and to prevent votes from moving to Williams.
Is the ad factual? Yes.
Grade: On our Pass/Fail rating system, this gets a strong PASS because of the simplicity and effectiveness of its message. A good, final effort.