Political Campaign Advertising
Michael Milburn
Psychology 335
Bill Moyers
The 30-second President
• What are the essential elements of a persuasive
advertisement, according to Rosser Reeves?
• What are the essential elements of effective
commercials that Tony Schwartz used in his ads?
• What process did Schwartz use to select the messages
for his ads?
• According to Moyers, what is the effect of political
campaign advertising?
• What psychological processes are reflected in the
presidential advertising in this Moyers’ show?
Campaign Strategy
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What would be your strategy if you were employed by a candidate running for office
for the U.S. Senate?
The candidate:
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Short, intellectual, intense (talks fast), college professor, politically radical, unknown in the
state, never held elective office
Virtually no money ($200,000)
Spring of the election year
Your opponent:
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Conservative Republican
Has 70% approval rating
“Most popular politician in the state”
61% approval rating among self-described liberals despite very conservative voting record
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Children’s Defense Fund game him a Children’s Defense Fund gave him a zero rating in 1989
League of Conservation Voters rated him a “D” or “F” in all but two years in the 1980s
Has already raised $6 million
Your polling in February and June finds that your opponent has a 20 point lead in the
polls
What campaign ads would you run?
1992--Adwatch
• Bush/Clinton support measured on “thermometer
scales”
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch: read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch: read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
“thermometer scales”—change scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
Adwatch condition
Thermometer Scales
1992--Adwatch
• Bush/Clinton support measured on “thermometer
scales”
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch: read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch: read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
“thermometer scales”—change scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
Adwatch condition
1992--Adwatch
• Bush/Clinton support measured on “thermometer
scales”
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch: read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch: read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
“thermometer scales”—change scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
Adwatch condition
1992--Adwatch
• Bush/Clinton support measured on “thermometer
scales”
• Two groups (Adwatch/No adwatch)
• Everyone watched Clinton, Bush ads
• Adwatch: read analysis (Boston Globe)
• No Adwatch: read USA Today fluff
• Bush/Clinton support measured again on
“thermometer scales”—change scores calculated
• Amount of attitude change significantly lower for
Adwatch condition
Adwatch—RNSC Ad attacking
Wellstone
• CNN—”Nearly every major claim in this ad
is inaccurate, misleading or distorted”
Paul Wellstone
• Oct. 25, 2002 -- Senator Paul Wellstone was
killed on Oct. 25 when his campaign plane
crashed in northern Minnesota. The senator's
wife, Sheila, son, and daughter also died in the
crash.
• Wellstone was known for his passionate support
of health care rights, fighting with Senator Pete
Domenici to extend their 1996 mental health law
and requiring parity in treatment of mental
illnesses. He also introduced a bill expanding
medical coverage available to recovering
addicts.