Campaign Ads Take Aim at NYC

Because of Wall Street, New York is getting a bad rap this election season. More than 200 candidates across the country have run ads criticizing the financial industry this year and what images go along with them? Manhattan, of course—the green Wall Street sign is also a favorite. One ad in Georgia depicts a congressman cruising around New York with Nancy Pelosi, first in a ticker-tape parade in the financial district and then soaking in the lights of Times Square. “One of the most important things about the election ads is not how they affect the election, but how they affect the narrative after the election,” said one political advertising expert. “Which is: New York will take a beating, because people are being buffeted with negative associations.” How things have changed. Just eight years ago, however, the prominence of New York imagery in campaign imagery was tied to patriotism and 9/11.