The Ad Campaign: Thompson Emphasizes His Roots

First aired: August 13, 2013

Produced by: The Campaign Group

For: William C. Thompson Jr.

Four years after losing a closer-than-expected election to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, William C. Thompson Jr., a former comptroller, is back on the air with two commercials as he tries to improve his position in a crowded Democratic primary. Both 30-second commercials are heavily biographical and feature Mr. Thompson speaking directly to the camera. The more vivid of the two ads is titled “Believe.”

Fact-Check

0:06

“I grew up in Brooklyn. My father was a judge. My mother a teacher. We had good public schools, good jobs. That’s the New York we believe in.”

A smiling Mr. Thompson, wearing a suit and tie, tries to project his sunniest and most homespun persona. Backed by a peppy, jazz-infused score, Mr. Thompson talks about his grandparents, both Caribbean immigrants. He is filmed standing in front of the Bedford-Stuyvesant row house in which he grew up, emphasizing his Brooklyn roots even though he now lives in Manhattan. His rose-tinted description of his formative years overlooks the fact that in the mid-1970s, when Mr. Thompson was entering the job market, the city was in the throes of a fiscal crisis, with double-digit unemployment rates, and the schools were generally viewed as a disaster.

0:15

“More affordable. Safer streets. Better schools in every neighborhood. I’m Bill Thompson. I’ll always remember where I come from and who I’m standing up for.”

Mr. Thompson pledges to do what every candidate â€" Democrat or Republican â€" has focused on if elected: make the city more affordable and safer, and improve the schools. In a sign of his institutional support, he is seen walking with firefighters outside a firehouse, and talking with New Yorkers on the street, while a graphic notes that he has been endorsed by firefighters, Democratic leaders and teachers. The ad concludes with a smiling Mr. Thompson surrounded by his family: his father, a former judge; his wife; and his adult daughter.

Scorecard

Mr. Thompson’s mission is simple here: Even though voters may not remember him much from his 2009 run, he wants them to know that he is back. By mentioning his Caribbean roots, he is indirectly highlighting the fact that he is the only black candidate in the mayor’s race, which could be a plus among black and Hispanic voters. He speaks more slowly than the other candidates who have aired ads, as if to reinforce his message that he is the calm, deliberate adult in the field.

@import url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/css/newsgraphics/2013/0712-nyc-ad-campaign/promo.css);

More from The Ad Campaign