A graphic new ad aims to convince young men that Republican lawmakers are literally blowing their tax dollars on wealthy donors.
Created by Progress Action Fund—a PAC whose slogan is “When Republicans go low, we go lower”—the ad shows two workers complaining about how high their taxes are. Then they open the door to a service closet and discover their Republican congressman on his knees in front of a groaning, wealthy donor.
The congressman turns around and explains, “I’m fundraising for reelection and servicing my sugar daddy and lowering his taxes.”
“You said you were going to lower our taxes, man,” one of the workers replies.
“Sorry. You didn’t give me any money,” he says before returning to his “job.”
The ad’s creators told the Daily Beast it was aimed at young men between 18 and 29 who originally supported President Donald Trump but have since soured on him. It will air on streaming platforms as well as sites like dating sites, sports sites, and gambling sites that are popular among young men.
“The ad meets the demo, which is not watching MSNBC, not watching CPAN,” said Progress Action Fund founder Joe Jacobson, 30. “They love ‘Family Guy and ‘Euphoria,’ watching basketball and MMA.”
In terms of its crudeness, the ad’s vulgarity is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what shows like “Family Guy” and “South Park” are showing, he added.
“This is what the demo consumes,” he said.
An Economist/YouGov poll released last week shows that Trump’s approval among voters under 30 has plummeted since his inauguration from +5 to -29, a 34-point drop.
Experts say many young men voted for Trump because they didn’t feel like they had the same quality jobs and opportunities as previous generations. They thought Trump would change the system in ways that would benefit them, but instead, his economic policies have led to higher prices and fears of recession.
Jacobson said he and his team don’t do formal focus groups or ad testing, but they do share the ads with their moderate and politically disengaged friends. They’ve found the spot is a good conversation starter.
“Even with the moderates and people who are apolitical, they’re like, ‘Ick it’s true, and this is why I hate politics. Because they’re subservient,‘” he said.
That opens the door for him to make the case that Democrats are actually trying to lower taxes and help workers. Jacobson said that if an ad doesn’t cut through the noise on social media, Gen Z will just keep scrolling—even if the spot tests well compared to other political content.
“You’re competing against Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stuff. You’re competing against Lebron. You’re competing against Love is Blind,” he said. “You’re not in a sterile lab in the real world. Mormon wives is much more interesting than anything any [ad writer] can come up with.”
If Democrats want to win back the young male demographic, they need to listen to members of that demographic, he added.
The post Dems Unveil Graphic Ad to Cash in on GOP Bowing to Trump appeared first on The Daily Beast.
