Hot or cold, climate change is a sticky message to work with in a political ad. It’s a subject that is as polarizing in polite conversation as religion or, well, politics these days. The right point of view and deft voice over style can make all the difference when diving into the climate pool. As a female political voice actor, I’ve voiced climate ads from both sides of the ideological aisle. As an artist and one who identifies as non-partisan, the key to effectively delivering these messages is finding an authentic point of view (POV).
Controversial Political Ad – The Neutral Voice Over
In the controversial political debate over global climate change, all sides have some common ground. Certain statistics – such as Earth’s temperatures having risen 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the early 20th century and that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane have notably increased – are just that, stats. Political ads that employ such facts are often most effective when delivered with a neutral voice over. The announcer gets out of the way and lets the words do the work.
That being said, the neutral voice over is not 100% neutral. Story, setting, impact all underlie the message and careful placement of tone, pitch, rhythm and all the other elements of good practiced voice over come together in a subtle, persuasive and convincing way.
In an affiliated genre, public service announcements and informational videos, you may also hear neutral voice over. Often there is wide agreement as to the benefits of actions that citizens can take to contribute to the betterment of the planet, such as recycling, ride-sharing or energy conservation. In these messages, as in political ads, an informative, neutral or neighbor-like voice over delivery is highly effective. These messages don’t have to work hard to win over folks to their cause.
All Voices Count in Climate Change
For a large number of voters, primarily on the left of the political spectrum, climate change is a dire crisis, one where all voices count. Though the alarm had been building for decades, Al Gore gave it a platform in 2006 with An Inconvenient Truth, and since then the heralds have filtered down the generations becoming more impassioned, ringing an ever louder alarm.
Fast forward to 2019 and teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg who has been traveling the globe raising awareness and holding politicians accountable with her matter-of-fact, blunt messages calling for stronger action to combat the climate crisis. Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez co-authored the Green New Deal with Senator Edward Markey which is being called “an ambitious plan to remake the U.S. economy and drastically reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions”.
These young activists contend that human activities like burning fossil fuels are causing severe climate changes from global warming to loss of sea ice and sea level rise to stronger storms and more droughts. Their message is that immediate international action is needed to stave off dire climate change. Theirs are the generations that will have to deal with the ramifications of inaction.
Embracing their POV to deliver these types of climate change warning ads therefore often involves a voice over able to resonate with younger voters. Finding a cadence that rings true to the millennial voter and the increasingly more community-centered or collectivist attitudinal Generation Z means finding an authentic voice above and beyond the words in the copy. The voice over benefits from an urgency that inspires, uplifts and encourages these voters to take action.
The Bottom Line of Climate Change to the Average Consumer
The other side of the climate change focuses on the monetary impact that inconvenient regulations will have on the average consumer. This bottom line argument declares human-generated greenhouse gas emissions are too small to substantially change the earth’s climate. They contend warming comes from natural fluctuations in the sun’s heat or point to Earth’s homeostatic nature instead.
These messages target the middle-American voter. They highlight that some renewable energy and green alternatives to everyday products are more expensive and place an extra burden on the average voter just to light their homes, fuel their cars or drink their lattes. This frustration at wanting to help the environment but being wary of the ever increasing hit to their pocketbooks is artfully reflected in the voice over delivery for these issue ads. Authenticity here is also key, but people will likely relate to a more exasperated attitude over carrying the extra costs, a sympathetic tone from someone wanting to make changes but unable to to forfeit their pocketbook or a skeptical delivery over whether these inconveniences will have any real impact.
They also target voters who simply don’t want the government telling them what kind of straw to use or what type of light bulb to buy and business owners who feel overwhelmed by regulation. Giving voice to these moms, entrepreneurs, middle-class Americans who are striving every day to stretch their dollars requires a believability and genuine approach in the political ad voice over.
Capturing the POV – Political Ad Voice Acting
The core of voice acting (and political ad voice acting in particular) is capturing the point of view of the target audience. We are hired to cement the emotional bond between issue and voter. To encapsulate the world that the voter exists in and find the authentic delivery that resonates with them. A professional political voice over actor possess the facility to understand the message, analyze the script, find the parts of the message to billboard or underplay to serve the message and the skill to represent that POV and successfully influence voters.