Comments on: Are You Influenced by Political Advertising?

By: Troy Bingham

Troy Bingham — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:38:44 +0000

with the liberal media, i tend to think less of candidates that get a lot of air time.

By: JohnKelly

JohnKelly — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:10:55 +0000

Sorry for the poor spelling/grammar in my post. In the future I will proof 1st.

By: JohnKelly

JohnKelly — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:55:14 +0000

Political ads = spin. There’s no substance, no meat to them, they’re as puffy as cola ads.

Do they influence? Hell yea! They influence the mass of non-critical thinkers who rarely read. That the vast majority, unfortunately.

That is why those who would be best to govern are not interested in running. It’s more a game of celebrity than depth.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:28:39 +0000

If I’m already behind a candidate, I simply filter out anything negative an opposition advertisement says about him or her. I know what their intention is with the negative ad, so I just dig in my heels.

I don’t get my information from newspapers or television. Frankly, I don’t trust them to give me the straight goods. I listen to talk radio, do my own research, and pull in selected news from sources that have demonstrated that they are trustworthy.

By: Bob Bly

Bob Bly — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:06:48 +0000

Craig: Yes, badmouthing — negative advertising — should be the fourth item on the list. I missed it. Also, your comments have a broader implication: that TV commercials are diminishing in importance as an advertising and communications medium. Many articles I’ve read in marketing publications agree with that view.

By: Craig Hysell

Craig Hysell — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:25:20 +0000

Was there a fourth influential nature of these ads: to badmouth the competition?

I don’t pay attention to the ads. (I DO enjoy the debates however.) It seems most of us don’t, because we don’t trust the message or have found a way to defeat the medium (TiVo).

But this is an educated demographic: Internet savvy, able to type clearly, interested in the underlying facets of marketing as it pertains to the presidency. Most likely well-read and have some level of college education.

It would be interesting to see how many votes $70M gets you compared to $40M. What’s the ROI and what demographic is it affecting the most? Is anybody polling that?

By: Business Blogging Services

Business Blogging Services — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:23:12 +0000

Sick and tired of that so called Public Relation. It is just nothing but brain wash.

But one must admit - they do it professionally

thanks!

By: Susan Birk

Susan Birk — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:04:53 +0000

My eyes glaze over any time I see a political ad. They’re so simplistic and transparently manipulative that I find most of them to be sort of offensive. If I see one, I make a mental game of trying to analyze the strategy they’re using to “influence.” I like to think that they don’t sway my opinion. I try to form my opinions by hearing the candidates speak “unedited”–on C-Span, for example. I was lucky enough to see Obama in person before he was elected to the Senate. He spoke at length on the separation of church and state. His eloquence was powerful.

By: Phil Dunn

Phil Dunn — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:25:07 +0000

True. I’m hoping for a day when the fragmentation of media is further along, and TV is less influential.

By: Bob Bly

Bob Bly — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:59:49 +0000

Phil: If TV advertising is critical to getting elected, than the U.S. president must necessarily be either wealthy or have a better fundraising team than his rivals.