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Analysis of two TV ads from the same presidential election campaign:
With the advent of television, presidential candidates have increasingly relied on the tools of fictional filmmaking (script, visuals, sound, editing, and performance) to distill major campaign themes into a few powerful images and sounds. Drawing upon the materials available on the American Museum of the Moving Image’s “The Living Room Candidate” website, select a presidential campaign and analyze one commercial used by the Republican and one used by the Democratic candidate to communicate a specific message either about a key campaign issue or some perceived weakness of the opponent. Compare and contrast the approaches taken in the two commercials, looking at their similarities and differences. What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of each commercial? In conducting your analysis, your task is to examine how each television advertisement aims to convince the viewer to vote for the candidate. It is crucial to place the ads in the proper historical context and then to evaluate their effectiveness based on the following criteria: (1) emotional appeals, (2) persuasiveness, (3) accuracy of factual claims, and (4) cinematic style.
Complete the assignment in the following steps:
1. Select two presidential advertisements. Visit the American Museum of the Moving Image’s “The Living Room Candidate” website:
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/. Select one (1) presidential election year. Select and analyze one (1) televised advertisement by the Republican candidate and one (1) by the Democratic candidate during that year.
2. Offer a brief description of each advertisement, noting their similarities and differences. Be sure to provide the title of the ads. The titles of the commercials should be surrounded by quotation marks: (i.e., “Country I Love”). Explain in detail what images are seen and what sounds are heard in each ad. Clarify whether the combination of images and sounds in each ad work together to create a coherent narrative about the candidates. And what central issue are the ads addressing? Is it a public issue (i.e., taxes, foreign affairs, abortion, health care, etc.)? Or are the ads focused on the perceived strength of the candidate and/or the weakness of the opponent? In several cases, the ad might focus on one particular issue and try to make a case for why one candidate would be the superior choice – or why the other would be lacking with regard to the matter at hand.
3. Place the ads into the proper historical context. You should engage in historical research in order to understand the meaning of the ad. Ads sometimes address general themes that are relevant in any election year, but often ads are focused on timely issues or on the perceived personality traits of a candidate.
If one candidate was perceived as “weak on defense” and the opposing candidate tried to capitalize on that in an ad, it is crucial that your essay includes data to establish how there was a widespread public perception about the candidate’s position on military affairs.
If an ad accuses a political opponent of being affiliated with a disreputable organization or corrupt businessman, it is your task to offer background information on this organization or person. This helps clarify why the association could be damaging to the candidate.
4. What are the emotional appeals of each ad? Does the ad aim to elicit a particular type of feeling from the audience (i.e., hope, fear, humor, etc.)? What images or sounds are used to help draw out this emotional reaction? For instance, does the ad use images of children to elicit an emotional response from the viewer? The emotional appeal can often distract viewers from more substantive issues. Remember that not all ads necessarily make an explicit emotional appeal.
5. Do the ads make a persuasive argument? First, does the ad identify a central issue? If so, does the ad make a rational argument for the advancement of its candidate’s policies? How well developed is the candidate’s central message? *** Whereas the emotional appeal aims for a visceral reaction from the audience, the persuasion of an ad is an attempt to convince the viewer through logic and reasoning.
6. Do the ads present any “factual” claims about its candidate or the opponent? Are these claims specific or vague? “My opponent voted against the No Child Left Behind Act” is a specific claim that could easily be verified. An ad where a candidate says “my opponent is against education reform” is a vague statement that could mean a variety of things since people of different political ideologies have different meanings for what constitutes education reform. Are these claims presented with references to reliable sources? Even if the ad includes multiple references, do not assume the information is necessarily true. Engage in additional research to determine the veracity of the claims made in the ad.
7. How does the cinematic style of each ad help enhance the appeal of the candidates? How are the images and sounds used to help communicate a political idea? Does the music help compliment the message in the ad? Is the video edited in a way that reinforces the candidate’s message? How do such visual elements (i.e., camera position, lighting, composition, use of color, use of still footage and/or moving images) contribute to the meaning of the ad? Overall, do the aesthetic choices used by the makers of each ad strengthen the emotional appeal or persuasiveness of the ad?
The end result of your research and analysis should be a well-organized, insightful four-to-five-page paper that adheres to the seven-point outline form above. The paper should be typewritten, double-spaced, with 12-point font and 1-inch margins. You should footnote all of your sources, including, where available, links to articles, advertisements and other sources of information. You should include at least four quotations taken directly from the sources you’ve selected. Your direct quotes should be no more than a sentence or two and come from at least four separate sources. Moreover, you should consult at least five PRINT sources—sources that, even if they are retrieved from an online database, also exist in print. (You may not use the assigned readings in this paper.) Be sure to use a proper style for citing your sources and for your bibliography or list of cited works—you are welcome to use MLA (in-text citation), APA (in-text), or Chicago (footnotes), so long as you use it correctly and consistently.
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