Political Campaign Advertising

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Political Campaign Advertising

• Michael Milburn
• Psychology 335

2
Bill MoyersThe 30-second President

• What are the essential elements of a persuasive
  advertisement, according to Rosser Reeves?
• What are the essential elements of effective
  commercials that Tony Schwartz used in his ads?
• What process did Schwartz use to select the
  messages for his ads?
• According to Moyers, what is the effect of
  political campaign advertising?
• What psychological processes are reflected in the
  presidential advertising in this Moyers show?

3
Campaign Strategy

• What would be your strategy if you were employed
  by a candidate running for office for the U.S.
  Senate?
• The candidate
• Short, intellectual, intense (talks fast),
  college professor, politically radical, unknown
  in the state, never held elective office
• Virtually no money (200,000)
• Spring of the election year
• Your opponent
• Conservative Republican
• Has 70 approval rating
• Most popular politician in the state
• 61 approval rating among self-described liberals
  despite very conservative voting record
• Childrens Defense Fund game him a Childrens
  Defense Fund gave him a zero rating in 1989
• League of Conservation Voters rated him a D or
  F in all but two years in the 1980s
• Has already raised 6 million
• Your polling in February and June finds that your
  opponent has a 20 point lead in the polls
• What campaign ads would you run?

4
1992--Adwatch

• Bush/Clinton support measured on thermometer
  scales
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
  thermometer scaleschange scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
  Adwatch condition

5
Thermometer Scales
6
1992--Adwatch

• Bush/Clinton support measured on thermometer
  scales
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
  thermometer scaleschange scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
  Adwatch condition

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1992--Adwatch

• Bush/Clinton support measured on thermometer
  scales
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
  thermometer scaleschange scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
  Adwatch condition

10
(No Transcript)
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1992--Adwatch

• Bush/Clinton support measured on thermometer
  scales
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
  thermometer scaleschange scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
  Adwatch condition

13
(No Transcript)
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AdwatchRNSC Ad attacking Wellstone

• CNNNearly every major claim in this ad is
  inaccurate, misleading or distorted

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Paul Wellstone

• Oct. 25, 2002 -- Senator Paul Wellstone was
  killed on Oct. 25 when his campaign plane crashed
  in northern Minnesota. The senator's wife,
  Sheila, son, and daughter also died in the crash.
  
• Wellstone was known for his passionate support of
  health care rights, fighting with Senator Pete
  Domenici to extend their 1996 mental health law
  and requiring parity in treatment of mental
  illnesses. He also introduced a bill expanding
  medical coverage available to recovering addicts.