What’s in a song? There is obviously a lot for Doug Ford’s progressive conservatives.
This election is the second time that personal computers have been the only party in Ontario to come after the sound of an original song written for the campaign.
Those who keep an eye on the election are likely to guess their name. Yes I understand you. It’s called Get It Done, the same slogan scattered throughout the campaign materials on the computer.
And maybe you’ve heard it before without realizing it. The song is the ubiquitous soundtrack to Ford’s rally, stops and positive commercials on television, radio and online.
As it is the successor to Ford’s 2018 song For The People, CBC News decided to get some impromptu feedback from people before revealing exactly what they were listening to.
“It’s poppy. He’s in a good mood. Sounds very positive,” Chris Beck said on a sidewalk in downtown Toronto. “It’s very playful.”
Ali Mohammed and Fred Biziman, also in Toronto, said it “sounded encouraging.” Bizimana had an annoying feeling that she had heard it before. “I like that energy,” Mohammed said.
Reactions were a bit more muffled after learning that this was a song for a computer campaign.
“I didn’t expect that to come,” Mohammed said. “Quite surprising,” Beck joked.
Ali Mohammed and Fred Bizimana, both musicians in Toronto, said they liked the song’s positive mood. Both said they were surprised to learn that this was part of a political campaign. (CBC)
The song itself is truly an advertisement, and the lyrics undoubtedly paint a rosy picture of Ford’s vision for Ontario.
But these initial reactions from listeners – PC or not – are the kinds of feelings his camp hopes to provoke, according to a campaign source who spoke to CBC News on condition of anonymity.
The Get It Done brand is intentional to look ahead. Computers rely heavily on the suggestion that many voters simply want to move forward after more than two dark years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The song tries to capture that feeling in audio form, the source said.
Like kissing a baby in the form of a song
Shana Almeida, a professor of communications at the University of Toronto Metropolitan, said the song could serve as “a strategic tool for using a particular type of emotion that is specific to the pandemic.”
“I think that when you can take advantage of that, you get involved in a larger set of people, people on the fence, people who haven’t decided.
This allows the party to control the message in a way that existing music would not. And a small excerpt from the lyrics (“Nobody Said It Was an Easy Way / And We Won’t Stop, We’ll Never Give Up”) shows that they are vague enough to appeal to more than typical computer voters, he said. Almeida, who worked for former NDP MP Olivia Chow during her time as a city councilor in Toronto.
WATCH Listen to an excerpt of the campaign song on your computer:
Listen to an excerpt from the computer’s campaign song “Get It Done”
PC leader Doug Ford is releasing the song at the stops of his campaign. He also appears in commercials on television, radio and online.
She said it was a rumored version of a politician holding and kissing a baby.
“When you see a politician holding a baby, you tend to forget some of the bad things they did.”
The PC campaign has cut-out versions of different lengths to use in different contexts so that parts of the song appear in all media.
There is an advertising concept called “sound branding” – creating an auditory experience that the listener immediately associates with a brand. Think of the McDonald’s jingle (Ba da ba ba ba). This is part of what computers hope to achieve with an original song, said the campaign source.
“Voters and the general public are really distracted right now,” said an insider. “They only see and hear parts of your campaign. This consistent sound helps them connect everything together.”
Of course, producing an original song requires a campaign with machines and money for it. Exactly how much money computers will not say. They also declined to reveal who composed and recorded the song.
Bypassing any twist of artists
Eric Alper, a music publicist and radio host, said he thought it was a “smart move” with no obvious flaw in Ford’s campaign to outsource.
“They can claim this song as their own, so they know they won’t have copyright issues or the artists will come out and say they don’t want the song to be used,” he said in Toronto.
He cited cases of musicians denouncing politicians, most often those on the center-right. Canadian rocker Neil Young has publicly asked former US President Donald Trump to stop playing Rockin ‘in the Free World during the election campaign, for example.
The computer song will be heavily featured in commercials and rallies in the last week of the election campaign. (Chris Young / Canadian Press)
Alper said the song’s structure made good sense, even if it had elements “clearly taken from the advertising world.” It is driven by emotion, not facts, and is easy enough to remember, he said.
“You want these stubborn followers to know the song and sing it while sitting in the car. Because it’s a free advertisement for politics the moment they start having this song in their head, “Alper continued.
CBC News turned to the NDP, Liberal and Green campaigns in Ontario for their perception of the tune. No one responded before the publication.
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