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Campaign Advertising
Political Parties & Elections
“The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high
office like breakfast cereal-that you can gather votes
like box tops-is, I think, the ultimate indignity to the
democratic process.”
—Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)
From Broadsides to Broadcasts
Over the course of 100 days
in the campaign of 1896,
William Jennings Bryan, by
his own account, made 600
speeches in 27 states. He
traveled over 18,000 miles to
reach 5 million people.
In a single fireside chat
delivered while seated in his
very own parlor a generation
later, Franklin D. Roosevelt
was able to reach 12 times
that number by radio. (60
Million)
1975
Memo
from Bob
Mead to
Dick
Cheney
and
Donald
Rumsfeld
Creating an image…
“Follow Me Around”
Which is it?
• The media are a “convenient scapegoat for our
myriad ills” (Stuckey)
OR
• The media distort politics with their “simple,
character-driven narratives” (Peretz).
A Typology of Media Effects
There are 3 kinds of media
effects:
Persuasion
Agenda-setting
Priming
Some say there is a “law of minimal effects.” The
media tend to reinforce the public’s preferences; it
rarely alters them.
A Guide to Campaign Advertisements
NAME CALLING – Often referred to as “attack ads.” Makes assertions
about the opponents in a variety of unflattering ways.
GLITTERING GENERALITIES – Name calling in reverse While name calling
seeks to make up form a judgment to reject or condemn without examining
the evidence, the Glittering Generality device seeks to make us approve and
accept without examining the evidence.
TRANSFER – Uses popular symbols to create a positive connotation for the
candidate, or negative or controversial symbols to create a negative
connotation of the opponent (e.g., Reagan’s “Morning in America” ad,
1984, Bush’s “Safer, Stronger” ad, 2004).
TESTIMONIAL – References to and endorsements from celebrities and other
well-known people (e.g., Kerry’s “Rassman” ad, 2004).
PLAIN FOLKS – Demonstrating that they candidate is just as common as
the rest of us, and therefore, wise and good (e.g., Clinton’s “Journey” ad,
1992).
CARD STACKING – Use of statistics, usually in a one-sided manner to create
a smoke screen. Using under-emphasis and over-emphasis to dodge issues
and evade facts.
BANDWAGON – Appealing to the desire of voters to follow the crowd.
Usually directs appeals to groups held together by common ties (e.g.,
Evangelicals, farmers, school teachers, etc). All the artifices of flattery are
used to harness the fears and hatreds, prejudices and biases, convictions
and ideals common to a group.
These 7 devices were
identified by the
Institute for Propaganda
Analysis in 1938
Memorable Ads
1964 – Johnson, “Daisy”
1984 – Reagan, “Bear in the Woods,” “Morning in America”
1988 – G.H.W. Bush, “Revolving Door”
1992 – Clinton, “Journey”
2004 – G.W. Bush, “Safer, Stronger,” “Wolves”
2008 – Obama, “Yes We Can”
2012 – Obama, “Understands,” “Firms,” Romney, “These
Hands”
Negative Ads as a Percentage
of Total, 1952-2004
Percentage
100
Do negative ads work?
80
60
40
20
Source: Darrell M. West, Air Wars (2005): 61.
2004
2000
1996
1992
1988
1984
1980
1976
1972
1968
1964
1960
1956
1952
0
The Desktop Candidate
According to the Pew Internet and American Life project:
60% of internet users said they
went online to get news or
information about the 2008
elections.
38% of internet users, or about
43 million people, said they
used e-mail to discuss politics.
One of the most popular e-mail
subjects was jokes about the
candidates and the election.
11% of internet users, or more
than 13 million people, went
online to engage directly in
campaign activities such as
donating money, volunteering,
or learning about political
events to attend.
The Desktop Candidate
According to the Pew Internet and American Life project:
54% of voting-age
Americans used the internet
for political purposes during
the 2010 midterm elections.
58% of online adults looked
online for news about
politics or the 2010
campaigns, and 32% of
online adults got most of
their 2010 campaign news
from online sources.
In 2012, 66 percent of the
adults using Twitter and
Facebook did so in part to
conduct civil and political
activity.
How does the digital age
change politics?
Speeds up the media cycle
(e.g., Feiler Faster Thesis)
Increased competition
diversifies the information
provided
Diminishes the influence of the
mainstream media
Helps campaigns to “microtarget” supporters (GOTV)
Helps campaigns to solicit
donations
Increases efficiency and lowers
costs
More democratic
“I believe that the
internet is the last
hope for democracy.”
“For twenty years, people have been
calling this era of computers, the
Internet, and telecommunications the
‘information age.’ But that’s not what it
is. What we’re really in now is the
empowerment age. If information is
power, then this new technology—which
is the first to evenly distribute
information—is really distributing power.”
Obama’s Project Narwahl
“The new megafile didn't just tell the campaign how to find voters
and get their attention; it also allowed the number crunchers to run
tests predicting which types of people would be persuaded by
certain kinds of appeals. Call lists in field offices, for instance, didn't
just list names and numbers; they also ranked names in order of
their persuadability, with the campaign's most important priorities
first. About 75% of the determining factors were basics like age,
sex, race, neighborhood and voting record. Consumer data about
voters helped round out the picture…”