Music and Sound in Canadian Online Political Advertisements from the Years 2019 - 2021

As Canadian political marketing focuses more on online commercials, it is clear that the music and sound from these videos must be considered. With regard to the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections, this thesis addresses how the music from online political videos contributes to establishing the brands of Canadian political parties and leaders and how sounds in advertisements can reflect political messaging and branding from a party or leader. This thesis examines commercials in both French and English from the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections, which were collected from registries compiled on the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada website. This website represents the most comprehensive list of online digital advertisement registries. These commercials (112 in total) constitute this thesis’ primary sources, and are divided between those with music and those without. The first chapter, “Political Marketing and Canadian Federal Election Music,” explores how the branding strategies of each party are established through music. Through an analysis of the various ways that music is used in election videos, music is shown to contribute to the branding of a political leader or voter base. The second chapter, “Soundscapes in Canadian Political Advertising through Foley Recording,” provides an analysis of the non-musical commercials’ Foley effects. Sounds featured in non-musical political advertisements can be interpreted as a form of soundscape because these commercials use sounds to emulate some kind of environment and reflect the relationship between humanity and a sonic environment. Soundscapes featured in these advertisements aim to elicit affirmative or negative reactions in the viewer, or reflect political platforms or branding from political parties. By focusing on the music and sound of political commercials, this study introduces a new sonorific perspective to political marketing, and promotes a better understanding of the marketing techniques used by political parties and how music and sound can affect branding.