opinion news

47% Video cost Mitt Romney $411 million

The power of short films do such tremendous good, but when they are leaked and reveal a truth you don't want anyone to know, they do a lot of damage.

This is the case for Mitt Romney's campaign. The widely panned video that marginalized 47% of the electorate did more damage to Romney's image than was previously anticipated. The Mitt Romney campaign had gathered steam after Obama's first flop performance, but the 47% speech still mattered, and became a snag in two following debates.

Why did the 47% video cost Mitt Romney $411 million? That's how much his campaign spent on advertising that was mostly ineffective because the core audience of voters he needed to win over were already turned off. Because of the 47% video, ads running in battleground states were perceived negatively by the very people Romney needed to draw in to gain a foothold.

What made matters worse is that Team Obama had strengthened turnout, particularly among youth. Their campaign had been very effective from a media standpoint in getting voters out early, and on election day. Republicans had to get a high turnout and switch Obama voters to join their 'sales pitch' for America, but the tone was muted; the 47% was still fresh in the minds of voters.

That leaked video told more truths than a thousand commercials targeting voters in those states and it's why I consider it as the most costly, and most damaging piece of filmed material to come out of the Romney campaign. It was a far more effective tool, and it's really unfortunate for them that it was leaked to the public. Romney may have stood a good chance if the negative undertone of that video had never existed, which undoubtedly drew a dark cloud over his entire campaign, and it's effectiveness.

Mitt Romney recently blamed Obama's 'Gifts' to voters as the reason why he lost the election. Karl Rove blamed the poor Primary debates as the reason. What do you think?

film industry network members