In the past few years, we’ve become more and more aware of the fact that politicians use advertisements to project certain images of themselves. From Bill Clinton’s sax-playing birthday party to George W. Bush’s efforts to appear as a man of faith, politicians have been using ads for quite some time now. This article will explore how politicians use advertisements to win the hearts and minds of the people.
What’s the Strategy behind Political Ads?
Campaign ads have traditionally been used to raise awareness about candidates, issues, and platforms. In recent years, however, research has shown that the biggest impact of political ads is not raising awareness but rather changing what voters think about the candidates themselves.
The strategy behind most political ads is to inspire positive feelings in voters about the candidate, negative feelings towards the candidate’s opponent, and an overall sense of trust and confidence in the candidate.
Why are Political Ads so Effective?
Political ads are so effective because they are specifically targeted at people who are most likely to vote in the election. With such a specific audience, the campaign can get away with saying more things that are not completely factual and that might not work with a larger audience. Also, most people don’t expect political ads to be completely truthful.
This is not to say that the people producing the ads are dishonest, but simply that political ads are often more about stirring up emotions than giving an objective overview of an issue. This can sometimes be a good thing: it allows candidates to speak directly to voters in a way that impresses upon them their platforms memorably and effectively.
Social Media Ads
Social media ads are another way that candidates in the 2020 presidential race are using advertisements to win the hearts and minds of voters. Many different ads have been aimed at different groups of voters through various social media platforms. Not only have they took advantage of social media, but as well to get more attention.
Facebook allows ads to be targeted by age, gender, location, interests, and relationship status. This allows campaigns to make ads that are more effective when it comes to reaching voters. For example, Facebook ads allow a campaign to specifically target fans of particular sports teams or even specific sports reporters.