Campaign ad shows a window into what it takes to be a Prime Minister; and that’s the ground he needs to fight against Albanese

If nothing else, this opening salvo of the election campaign should show even its harshest critics that the Coalition is not to be written off and underestimating the Prime Minister is a mistake.

In political campaigning terms, it’s known as a memory ad.

A reminder to the voter of all the things your government has done without telling people that they should be grateful; or more grateful, as the case may be, given the Prime Minister starts this election behind in the polls. As a piece of campaign weaponry, it hits the mark.

It’s beautifully shot and has echoes of White House imagery, with the glimpses through the window of the PM’s Parliament House office; the man at his desk, working late into the night keeping Australians safe, flanked by our nation’s flag. In a none too subtle reminder to conservatives too, there’s a portrait of the Queen which won’t be there in a month’s time if the government changes.

The Prime Minister’s ad hits the mark as a piece of campaign weaponry. Picture: Jeremy Piper

It’s an ad that seeks to frame the election by using Scott Morrison’s incumbency to remind people of the heavy responsibility that comes with the nation’s top job; “floods, fires, pandemic and war” have all been issues that have crossed his desk and it begs the question in the mind of the viewer, is the other bloke up to all that?

There’s the reference to the complexity of our national economy, again a marker that this former treasurer has a proven track record whereas the Opposition Leader might have been around a long time but the fact he’s never had a portfolio in either the economic, or national security areas, is telling.

An ad like this has a limited shelf life. You need to use at the start because in the end, the campaign isn’t about what you’ve done, it’s about what you will do if re-elected and the sort of difference you want to make to the lives of ordinary Australians. In the end, ‘what’s in it for me’ is a core motivation for most voters busy trying to raise their families, work hard and get ahead, or live a secure life in retirement.

Scott Morrison’s ad reminds people of the heavy responsibility that comes with the nation’s top job. Picture: Damian Shaw

There are other visual cues that reinforce the Morrison brand. The wedding ring: fidelity, faith and fatherhood. The mention of Brisbane and a recent visit to a trade training school: a reminder that more and more, the Liberal Party is the natural home of those who work with their hands for a living, amplifying Labor’s shift away from the centre towards the world of inner-city greens and woke elites.

The tone is refreshing, away from the bellowing Morrison of recent months; the candidate we’ve seen out on the hustings, replaced with the contemplative leader. In my campaigning experience, especially when you want to connect with women, tone is everything and he lands it here. Also absent is the hectoring, he (and Albanese) talk ‘at’ voters too much.

Instead, the images on the screen ‘breathe’; it’s reflective and sober, with a little bit of chocked emotion coming through. And closing with ‘that’s why I love Australia’ says to the viewer that Scott Morrison, the unabashed patriot, is back.

I’ve never referred to the PM as ScoMo. I know it was his ‘daggy Dad from the suburbs’ schtick last time but when you want to highlight your opponent’s lack of gravitas for the country’s most serious job, I’ve always felt it was a mistake to do that by diminishing your own.

Maybe his campaign team now agrees because this ad shows a window into what it takes to be a Prime Minister; and that’s the ground he needs to fight against Albanese, not who voters might most like to sit next to at the footy.

If nothing else, this opening salvo of Campaign 2022 should show even its harshest critics that the Coalition is not to be written off and underestimating the Prime Minister is a mistake.