In New Ads, the WE Campaign Turns to a Rancher and Construction Worker as Spokespeople for “Repowering America”

In two new TV advertisements, the We campaign is back on message (after one major stumble), framing appeals around the tagline of “Repower America,” connecting a focus on clean energy to economic recovery, and using a rancher (above) and a construction worker (below) as spokespeople.

There’s a lot to like about these new TV spots, starting with the tagline of “Repower America,” a theme that resonates with wider news attention to fixing the country’s economy and restoring the nation’s sense of pride. Then there’s the choice of actors as spokespeople.

The spot above featuring a truck driving rancher could easily be mistaken at first for the ubiquitous Chevy truck commercials. Notice though the messages delivered by the rancher. He focuses on renewable energy in both the context of religion (‘killing God’s green earth’) and national security (“boys in Tehran might not like it.”) Consider also that the rancher, the backdrop of windmills, and the closing line of “It’s time to get real” are clear connections to the similarly ubiquitous T. Boone Pickens ad campaign.

The spot below featuring a construction worker is first and foremost about jobs, opening with the line “Most people see an old building, I see a new job” and closes with the construction worker’s endorsement that re-fitting buildings to be energy efficient is “a great idea, unless you have a problem with creating jobs.”