Chapter 6

Advertising allows candidates to reach uninterested and unmotivated citizens

TV ads reach people, for example, who happen to be watching a preferred TV program

While some or many people may be apolitical and not really interested in various campaigns, research shows that they are often profoundly affected by the political advertisements to which they are exposed

Our book’s author contends that political advertising is the most important genre of advertising

This because our decisions about who we vote for play a crucial role in determining what laws will be passed and how we will lead our lives

He offers insights into the methods used by political advertisers, thus helping us make more informed and more intelligent decisions when we vote

Name Identification Spots- shown early in the campaign

Argument Spots- present candidate positions on issues

Attack Spots- focus on the opponent Positive Visionary Appeals- used at the

end of a campaign to give voters a reason to vote for the candidate

Time in Campaign Kind of Ad Function Early Name ID Ads Identity

Later Argument Ads Ideology

Later Still Attack Ads Insult

End of Campaign Positive Visionary Ads Image

NIKKY HALEY VINCENT SHEEHEN Name Identification-

“Better” Ad Arguments/Positions-

“Possible” Ad “Vision” Ad

“Movement” Ad Attack/Negatives “Own backyard” Ad “Mirror” Ad “Plan” Ad

Positive Visionary Appeals- Pending…

Also, Jenny Sanford Endorses Haley

Name Identification- “Find Out” Ad

Arguments/Positions- “Moving” Ad

“Crossroads” Ad Attack/Negatives-

“Says” Ad “Thinks” Ad Positive Visionary

Appeals- Pending…

HALEY HOMEPAGE SHEEHEN HOMEPAGE

“Latest Attack on Haley” (May 2010)

Haley called a “raghead” (June 2010)

Haley Rocky Job Departure (Oct. 2010)

Poll: Haley Leads by Nine Points (Oct. 2010)

Blogger Details Tryst (Oct. 2010)

Sheehen Ads Link Haley, Sanford (Sept. 2010)

Sheehen/Haley Launch Attack Ads (Sept. 2010)

State Paid Thousands to Sheehen Law Firm (Oct. 2010)

Are people no longer affected by negative campaigns? In polls, people will say they don’t like negative campaigns but voting

records seem to indicate that they are affected for influenced by them Numerous case studies of elections show that negative campaigns, full of

attack commercials, are effective One theory is that negative campaigns turn off voters who then will not

vote, playing into the hands of conservative Republican candidates who rely on the minority of conservative GOP who DO vote- in contrast to the majority of generally liberally Democrats, who don’t vote

Is it the number or the quality of the advertisements that counts? Depends! In California example, Gray Davis’s advertising push came at

the end of the campaign after his two higher spending opponents had hurt each other with attack ads earlier in the campaign

Is it the advertising or the record of the candidate that is crucial? Again it depends. In California, Lt. Gov. Davis’ slogan “Experience Money

Can’t Buy” worked because he had two wealthy opponents with little or no government experience. Voters seemed to reject the notion that experience in government is bad and less experience a politician has, the better- a position made popular by Ronald Reagan and many other conservative Republicans– including California’s current governor, Arnold Schwarenegger

Political ads use symbols, as best they can, that try to generate positive appeals like these: Hope (for the future) Compassion (for those in need) Ambition (to do what’s needed) Trust Nostalgia (for the mythic past) Intimacy Reassurance Local Pride National Pride

Who reassure us Who give us hope Who are compassionate toward the poor

and disadvantaged Who make us feel proud about where we

live and about America We like to feel our candidates are like us

and are aware of people like us Even though they may be quite far

removed- in distance and socio-economic status- from us

Use of the American flag Candidate wearing a hard hat, thus

identifying with the blue-collar worker) A “visionary” look over the horizon The all-American family All to generate the emotional response that

lead to instant and powerful identification with the candidate and hopefully, as a consequence, votes for the candidate

Not that language and words aren’t important, but in commercials a great deal of the communication burden is carried by physical symbols