Assignment: COMMERICIAL PROPOSAL

Abstract

This proposal incorporates the use of an advertising campaign through the media to influence political debate, and ultimately, voters. These ads are designed by political consultants and political campaign staff. Many countries restrict the use of broadcast media to broadcast political messaging. In the EU, many countries do not permit paid-for TV or radio advertising for fear that wealthy groups will gain control of airtime making fair play impossible and distort the political debate in the process. In both the United Kingdom and Ireland, paid advertisements are forbidden, though political parties are allowed a small number of party political broadcasts in the run up to election time. The United States has a very free market for broadcast political messaging. Canada allows paid-for political broadcasts but requires equitable access to the airwaves. Campaigns can include several different media (depending on local law). The time span over which political campaign advertising is possible varies greatly from country to country, with campaigns in the United States lasting a year or more to places like the UK and Ireland where advertising is restricted by law to just a short period of weeks before the election. Social media has become very important in political messaging, making it possible to message larger groups of constituents with very little physical effort or expense, but the totality of messaging through these channels is often out of the hands of campaign managers.

Background

While there have been some increases in regulation of campaign finance in the United States, there is generally little regulation of political advertising content. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 addressed the issue of "soft money" or money contributed through political action committees, raised the legal limits of hard money that could be raised for any candidate, and set limits on what funds could be spent on election broadcasts, but it did not mandate verifiability in political campaign advertising. As of this time, there is no pending legislation addressing this issue.

Currently the Federal Communications Commission requires that the contracts for political ads shown on broadcast stations be posted online, but the agency is considering a proposal to expand that disclosure requirement to other platforms, including radio and cable.[6]

Literature review

Language in political advertisements is carefully chosen and works with all of the other elements of an ad to convey a message. The candidate's intent determines his choice of words. It is advisable to apply this lesson to all aspects of everyday life (advertising, television news, common speech).

Activities

Write and record a radio ad for a political candidate. Afterwards, exchange their ads and create storyboards for each other's ads.

Generate a list of words or phrases that would create a positive feeling towards a candidate or a list of negative words and phrases.

Identify ads on The Living Room Candidate that feature these words and phrases. Students could compare their lists with Newt Gingrich's list. What vision of the country is suggested by the choice of the words they see as positive and negative? Would students change their lists in order to influence a specific audience?

Create a "found poem" from the text of an ad. Give students transcripts of a number of ads, and ask them to cut out memorable words and phrases and rearrange them on a blank sheet of paper to make a poem "found" from the existing text.

Research questions

What phrases or words did you mark as "positive"? Why?
What phrases or words did you mark as "negative"? Why?
How does the ad portray President Reagan?
What does the ad say about the opposing candidate? Is there any direct or indirect criticism?
If you had to pick a phrase to use as a title for this ad, what would it be?
Is the ad in color or black-and-white? What effect does that have?
What do you think the ad is about? Why?

Objectives

To identify words do you remember most clearly now? Are they the same? Different? Why?
To find out words or phrases seem least important or memorable now? Why?
Did the ad sound the way you expected it to? Why or why not?
How do you feel about the candidate after listening to the ad? Why?
What element contributes most to the mood of the ad: words, music, or the voice of the narrator? Why?
To whom is this ad directed? How do you know?