Summation Analysis

Effectiveness of Negative Political Advertising

Throughout history politicians have used various methods, such as whistle-stop speeches, political advertising and political rallies, to achieve their "primary goal, the winning of votes." However, over the years, politicians have found that it is most advantageous to use political advertising to persuade voters. According to Ansolabehere, Behr and Iyengar, campaign spending in the United States grew fifteen-fold since 1952 from $140 million to nearly $2 billion in 1988. They say less than 5 percent of campaign expenditures in 1952 were devoted to radio and television time. By 1972, 15 percent of campaign expenditures were for broadcasting. By1988, about 20 percent of nearly $2 billion went to purchase airtime. If you add the salaries of media consultants and advertising production costs, at least 40 percent of campaign dollars are spent on media expenditures in 1988. Dwight Eisenhower's campaign in 1956 was the first presidential campaign which relied heavily on political television commercials. After the election, "Truman, referring to the effects of political advertising . . . commented that it was the first time in 148 years that a president had been elected without carrying a Congress with him."

Today's Fact:
According to Ansolabehere, Behr and Iyengar, campaign spending in the United States grew fifteen-fold since 1952 from $140 million to nearly $2 billion in 1988.

http://www.scripps.ohiou.edu/wjmcr/vol02/2-1a.HTM

Personal Introduction

The Effects of Political Advertising

The Harsh tone of political advertising, the often controversial techniques employed by political advertisers, and the fact that the competing claims made in campaign ads are beyond review, have raised questions about the goals of political advertisers. Many critics have suggested that political advertisers seek votes at any cost, even including a degraded sense of public regard for the candidates and the electoral process. Perhaps the amount of negativity features in political campaigns is designed t shrink the market rather than increase the sponsors relative share. Discouraging people from voting is much more feasible than persuading supporter of one candidate to vote for the opponent.

Today's Facts:
Unlike commercial advertisements, political advertisements are not subjected to the same regulatory policies. Therefore, one must be mindful as to how these commercials weigh on our voting decision. 

Source: Shanto Iywngar & Markus Prior

Campaign Advertising

Campaign advertising is the use of paid media, such as newspapers, radio, television, and other mediums to influence the decisions made for and by groups. These ads are designed by political consultants and the campaign's staff.
The public media may run the story that someone is trying to get elected or to do something about such.
Holding public events may be a very effective campaign tool. Holding mass meetings with speakers is powerful as it shows visually, through the number of people in attendance, the support that the campaign has.
The internet is now a core element of modern political campaigns. Communication technologies such as e-mail, web sites, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communications by citizen movements and deliver a message to a large audience. These Internet technologies are used for cause-related fundraising, lobbying, volunteering, community building, and organizing.
American political campaigns have become heavily reliant on broadcast media and direct mail advertising (typically designed and purchased through specialized consultants). Though virtually all campaign media are sometimes used at all levels (even candidates for local office have been known to purchase cable TV ads), smaller, lower-budget campaigns are typically more focused on direct mail, low-cost advertising (such as lawn signs), and direct voter contact. This reliance on expensive advertising is a leading factor behind the rise in the cost of running for office in the United States. This rising cost is considered by some to discourage those without well-monied connections, or money themselves, from running for office.

Today’s Facts:
This reliance on expensive advertising is a leading factor behind the rise in the cost of running for office in the United States. This rising cost is considered by some to discourage those without well-monied connections, or money themselves, from running for office. This fact has provided some insight as to the people who run for office, they are not necessarily the individuals impassioned to do the job, but the people who can afford it.

Political Radio Advertiing

With the landscape of American politics becoming extremely polarized, the scope and type of radio commercials that are produced will be challenged to offer rhetoric and copy that touches the heart and not deflect off the shield that surrounds the soul of most voters. The conditioning of the mind has been evolving since the first political radio commercials.
Scott Radio, a radio political voice and script writing organization conducted a survey of over five hundred radio listeners in a quest to understand the mindset or comfort zone of the average radio listener.
The survey revealed that for political radio advertising specifically, the over saturation by candidates during the campaign is reason enough to avoid commercial radio.
We are living in exciting and changing times. The political radio commercial is in danger of extinction unless clear and major changes are made. The landscape demands thoughtful, heartfelt and creative advertisements that mirror the non-political radio commercials. With the amount of money required to reach total name recognition in a political campaign, radio will be used less for issue dissemination and more for image building.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Perreault

Today's Fact:
The landscape demands thoughtful, heartfelt and creative advertisements that mirror the non-political radio commercials.

Televised Politicans at Work

Barbados, Alike Yet Unique

Throughout this broadcast, I have realized that there are certain core values that are incorporated throughout all electoral campaigns. However, the island of Barbados has definitely brought something new and unconventional to the table. Like all election seasons, radio stations and other communatory channels are filled with party political adverts. In fact two days after the campaign season kicked off in Barbados, the radio stations, particularly Voice of Barbados are filled with political advertisements. It seems that every five minutes or less there is a plug for the “Dems” or the “Bees.”

The newspapers are flooded with daily ads, so much so the sixteen pages out of forty-seven in The Nation and on eleven out of forty-eight pages in The Advocate today. As a result of this inundation of political press, Barbados today offers a free direct access broadcast and paid advertising service. This means that both parties and non-party candidates are allowed to buy radio and television advertising, however, there is a limit predetermined number of slots allocated, further more there are mandated time limits on each advertisement; thirty seconds for radio and sixty seconds for television.

This approach caught my attention, because while the country embraces the use of technology to propagate political exploits, they do not allow it to become harassing, moreover a diversion from the real issues.

Today’s Fact
The newspapers are flooded with daily ads, so much so the sixteen pages out of forty-seven in The Nation and on eleven out of forty-eight pages in The Advocate today.

BAJANS REVERT TO THE POLLS GIVEN LIMITATIONS

ON MEDIA ADVERTISEMENTS

Political Media In Colombia

Colombia has had it eras of tribulation as it regards to the publication atmosphere, particularly in the area of politics. Today, Colombia has several different types of communications media available to them, such as the television, radio, newspaper, magazine, internet, even there very own music industry. These industries are controlled by large profitable corporations who reaps revenues from advertising. This entity is regulated by the Ministry of Communications and the National Television Commission and there primary attribute is that they promote freedom of the press.
Although this is the reality of Colombia today, the political advertising journey was not without obstacles. Freedom of the press and broadcasting were deeply rooted cultural traditions of Colombia. The government generally respected constitutionally guaranteed rights to the press. With the Rojas Pinilla political regime however, this inalienable right was suspended. Under this regime, in the season of election the opposition’s press was frequently censored, either through government-issued state of siege decree of violent harassment.
Providing that newspapers were the people’s choice of political news, the incumbant government would endow the privately owned paper with governmental restraints, preventing no other political advertisements to be posted except that of the party in power. This act reveals to readers and political activist alike, that communication can be monopolized just as it was in Colombia during this period. We may not have physical restraints, however, it has now become a game of who pays the most, receives the slots.

Today’s Fact:
Colombian politicans rely on technology like most western cultures to propogate their message. The internet to date has become a key component of political advertising.

High Court Declines Political Ads Case (Disclosure of Donors at issue in Washington State)

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to step into a dispute over a Washington state law that requires political committees to disclose the names of donors behind ads critical of a candidate for elected office.

The Washington Supreme Court ruled last year that a political committee backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce broke state campaign finance laws when it refused to disclose the donors behind ads in the 2004.

The U.S. Chamber, working with a state group called the Voters Education Committee, paid for advertisements criticizing Democratic candidate Deborah Senn during the 2004 primary campaign.

The Voters Education Committee initially refused to register as a political campaign group with the state or reveal the source of its money.

The committee later reported a $1.5 million donation from the U.S. Chamber, which in turn declined to reveal any of its donors, saying it didn't raise any money specifically for the Senn campaign.

When the state Supreme Court took up the issue, it essentially confirmed that the Voters Education Committee did, in fact, have to reveal the group that paid for the ads that were critical of Senn's record.

The Legislature subsequently updated the campaign finance laws and required that organizations must disclose their donors in cases in which they raise money specifically for an issue ad.

Groups that paid for issue ads but do not raise money for those ads specifically are not subject to the reporting requirement.

Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the state Public Disclosure Commission, said the group is now looking into the possibility that those involved with the 2004 case may be subject to fines.

Today’s Facts
The case is Voters Education Committee v. Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, 07-1153. For further information about this ongoing dispute, please look into this case.

Article Support from (seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/365512_senn03.html)

Technology Has Played an Active Role in Elections in the Caribbean.

In the Caribbean island of St. Maarten technology has become the latest weapon in the island council election campaign arsenal. In an election where the popular vote counts, candidates have taken to the television, the internet and other media outlets to increase their visibility.

Providing the younger electorate generation, candidates have resorted You Tube, email blasts, and online interactively to engage them in the process. Given that the financial resources are lessened in regions like St. Marten, the candidates in order to boost their campaign platform has resorted to free technological mediums, as opposed to high priced airtime slots.

A Democratic Party candidate has stated that there has been an evolution in the society of the Caribbean. Traditionally, citizens would attend rallies to hear how there delegates intended on addressing issues, but in a time where people are more in tuned with the internet and the television, they have no found a way to meet the people where they are. According to publicist consultants, these mediums allow candidates to come into the homes to meet their electors. This is the goal of the candidates in the Caribbean, immersing the younger generation into political issues through the use of technology.

Today’s Facts
Using technology definitely stretches the campaign dollars. Its usage in connection with traditional election strategies, such as radio jingles, TV ads and talk shows, and printed releases provides access to a wider audience. As long as they can drive the voters to the websites, there is a better chance of them staying long enough to learn more about the candidate.

Political Advertisement (Location: Jamaica)

Primary Terminology

Comparative Advertising

Comparative advertising compares one brand directly or indirectly with one or more competing brands. This advertising technique is very common and is used by nearly every major industry, including airlines automobile manufacturers, and political campaigns. One drawback of comparative advertising is that customers or voters in our our case have become more skeptical about claims made by a candidates about its competitors because accurate information has not always been provided, thus making the effectiveness of comparison advertising questionable. I

Summary of Spent Funding for 2008 Campaign Season

U.S. Presidential Candidates	Political Advertisement Expenditure
Barack Obama	9 million
Hilary Clinton	7 million
John Edwards	3.2 million
Romney	7 million
Huckabee	1.4 million
Thompson	1.1 million

The More They Spend, They More Votes They Buy

It seems to be the preconceived notion of politicians that the more money they spend on advertisements, the more votes they are buying. In Barack Obama’s case, he is hoping that a massive expenditure of cash on advertising will buy him the votes of eligible voters in Pennsylvania. This past weekend he is said to have mounted the biggest advertising blitz of the presidential campaign by spending well over two million dollars on ads in the run-up to the primary. Thus far he has earmarked $465,000 for Philadelphia alone.

Today’s Fact:

According to this presidential candidate the more money spent on advertising, the higher the odds of winning an election.

Political Advertising

Advertising has always been a central feature of American culture. Providing that the mass media is said to be both pervasive and inescapable, political advertisements have benefited from this cultural norm. As a matter of fact in recent years, political advertising has become essential to campaign strategy.

In political advertising there are no rules when it comes to the content and form of political advertising. The advertisers are not accountable to any regulatory body for the accuracy of their claims. They engage in so called “comparative” advertising, in which they are given allowance for criticizing their opponents by whatever means possible. To control the incessant propaganda, the press at times acts as mediators by running “ad-watch reports, but this is also monopolized in a sense which therefore fuels public cynicism.

Today’s Fact:
“Considerable evidence suggests that the negativity associated with contemporary political campaigns has created an "avoidance" mentality which is serving to shrink the electorate and the level of political participation generally.” (Department of Communication, Stanford University, 1999)

Welcome

Too often we become engulfed in the commercialization of our surroundings. In a sense we have become hypnotized by this microwave facade that not only the media, but our society in general has fed us. Through this blog my goal is not to alter or indoctrinate my personal opinions onto others, but rather to offer factual information that informs viewers of the vast amount of monetary investments made to the media by political actors during campaigning seasons. Consequently, this space will give attenton to the extensive use of advertisements in political campaigns throughout the Western Hemisphere, particulartly Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. As we embark on this journey, please feel free to engage in our cacuses, because it truly directly affects us all.