Kamala Harris dropped her first presidential marketing campaign advert lower than per week after President Biden introduced he would no longer seek re-election.
The spot begins with Harris asking a easy query: What sort of nation can we need to reside in?
“There are some individuals who assume we ought to be a rustic of chaos. Of worry. Of hate. However us, we select one thing totally different. We select freedom.”
Cue Beyonce’s hit tune “Freedom,” off of her 2016 album Lemonade.
Within the spot, Harris deftly positions herself as a candidate that’s about constructing a rustic that prioritizes freedom and justice for all of its residents. Because the digicam flashes from employees in a kitchen to a girl in a tough hat to a younger household using bikes down the road, Harris’ voiceover outlines her imaginative and prescient:
“The liberty not simply to get by, however to get forward. The liberty to be secure from gun violence. The liberty to make selections about your personal physique. We select a future the place no little one lives in poverty. The place we will all afford healthcare. The place nobody is above the regulation. We consider within the promise of America and we’re able to combat for it. As a result of after we combat. We win.”
The spot makes use of an optimistic, forward-looking tone and perspective to faucet into an power. It’s an power that, over just some days, has galvanized the Democratic Occasion, drummed up assist for Harris, and resulted in record fundraising.
It’s a near-perfect first political advert, from its dynamic tone to its highly effective and inclusive imagery. It additionally occurs to be a worthy companion to the grassroots marketing efforts which have sprung up round Harris. Since Biden’s announcement, fan-made, unofficial marketing campaign ads and memes have turned Harris right into a pop-culture phenomenon.