Influence of the Media on Political Campaigns

How Important are media in elections?

Image Making and the Role of Media Consultants

Media Consultant: advise candidates on how to

present a positive image to voters Help candidates plan their media

campaign Work with the news media Decide what ads should say and

when and where they should appear

Up to 80% of candidates “war chests” or campaign funds are spent on paid ads

Use opinion polls to see if money is being spent wisely

Work with focus groups, small group of people who are brought together to discuss their opinions on a topic of concern

Media and Message

Why do you think Lincoln chose to “wrap himself” in a flag?

What was going on in 1860?

What could Lincoln’s position within the flag signify?

Attracting Media Coverage

Photo Ops and Streamlined Convention All aspects are designed to generate as

much free publicity as possible Photo Op-carefully staged event

designed to produce memorable photographs and video images

National nominating conventions are staged to attract media coverage

Media Coverage of Elections

Horse-race coverage- treats elections as a sporting event, focuses on who is winning and why

Soap Operas stories- focus on the ups and downs of candidates and their campaigns, thrive on gossip, scandals, and personality

“Gotcha” journalism- catch the candidate making a mistake or looking foolish

FDR: Master of the Media

Fireside Chats

TV

1960 Debate

The Great Communicator Ronald Reagan, a

former film actor was keenly aware of the power of the media and the power of performance.

Social Media

Using social media such as Facebook, Four Square, Twitter, Youtube, and/or QR Code Retrieval politicains hope to appeal to a younger demographic

Why campaigns “Go Negative”

Why do candidates switch from a positive, upbeat campaign to negative campaigning, mudslinging? When the candidate has absolute

proof their opponent has done something wrong or the candidate is facing an uphill battle and has little to lose.

It works

What message are these ads trying to communicate?

Creating a Campaign Commercial

Step 1: Carefully read the information you receive about your assigned candidate, and review the profile of your opponent. Identify these things Experience that qualifies your candidate to

be president Why your candidate will appeal to the

public What differentiates your candidate form the

opponent

Step 2: Identify the focus of your commercial including The candidates message The type of advertising:

positive, negative, or issue based

The persuasive technique or techniques you will use

Step 3: Create a storyboard for your commercial. Your commercial must Include every member of

your group in some way Use at least one persuasive

advertising technique Set the scene with

appropriate props or costumes

Include music or background visuals

Be 30 seconds in length

Storyboard for Campaign Commercials

Create 6 screens each containing On screen: quickly explain what viewers will see during this part of the commercial

Narration: briefly explain why the actors and narrators will say

Types of Campaign Ads: Issue vs. Image

Both can be positive or negative Use persuasive techniques

Name calling Transfer Bandwagon Plain folk Testimonial Card-stacking Glittering Generalities