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Michigan Celebrities Tim Allen, Jeff Daniels take a stand to help win support for political candidates

Star power in political ads
Posted at 8:31 PM, Oct 28, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-28 20:36:36-04

With less than a week to go until Election Day, campaigns are turning to star power to help rally support in the final stretch.

Related: Everything you need to know with 1 week until the 2020 election

Two of Michigan's biggest celebrities, Tim Allen and Jeff Daniels, are lending their voices to new advertisements from opposite sides of the political aisle.

Tim Allen's advertisement, which has a feel similar to his spots for Pure Michigan, is in support of Republican John James, who is looking to unseat Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

"Michigan, a place where people respect each other, love each other — Michigan, that's John James . ." the spot begins.

"It really could be targeted to the two or three percent who might not have really made a decision who to vote for in this election," said Robert Kolt, Michigan State University professor of Advertising and Public Relations, who we asked to weigh in on the star power of these most recent ads.

There is also the two-minute spot delivered by Jeff Daniels where he talks to Michigan residents about his support for Joe Biden in the presidential race.

"Here in Michigan, we believe in the golden rule, we believe in paying our fair share. In Michigan, we don't pound our chests and blow our own horns . . ."

"The research would tell you that celebrity endorsements have a moderate effect on people, but in this case, these ads are very well produced and that's what makes them more powerful," said Kolt.

Professor Kolt also said the timing of their release also plays a big factor.

"Here's the advertising science in late ads. You usually want the ads targeted toward independent or undecided voters just before the election because they're not going to make up their mind until they go or are on their way to the polls," he said.