Political Advertising Content Area Vocabulary

Testimonial a written statement or letter affirming the character or value of a person or thing.

Media any one of the means of mass communication, such as television, radio, newspapers, or the like.

Mudslinging attempting to soil the reputation of an opponent by hurling malicious charges and accusations, especially in a political contest.

Endorsement a statement given in support of a person or product, as in an advertisement or political campaign.

Bandwagon an increasingly popular or successful party, candidate, movement, or cause

Medium Plural--newspapers, television, radio, and other means of mass communication collectively.

Security freedom from doubt or anxiety.

Slogan a short phrase used to summarize a principle or political message or to advertise a product; motto.

Media Bias Candidates generally receive negative coverage although Democrats do tend to receive more positive coverage than Republicans. International news coverage is limited in context and is often only about stories that are relevant to US economic, political, and military interests. Mitt Romney has received overwhelmingly negative coverage during the 2012 primary campaign.

Effects of Negative Advertising Negative political advertising can have a backlash effect, causing voters to negatively evaluate the sponsoring candidate. Use of negative political advertising has increased over time. Challengers use more negative ads than incumbents.

Issue Advertising Advertisements to persuade people to change their opinions or behavior rather than to sell them something: Issue advertising has increased since 1952

Presidential Campaign Spending Source: Mother Jones Barack Obama spent $730 million getting to the White House in 2008—twice as much as George W. Bush spent 4 years earlier and more than 260 times what Abraham Lincoln spent in his first election (as measured in 2011 dollars). Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama created a broad grassroots movement and a new method of campaigning by courting and mobilizing activists, donations, and voters through the Internet (see grassroots fundraising. It was part of a campaign that mobilized grassroots workers in every state. Obama also set fundraising records in more than one month by gaining support from a record-breaking number of individual small donors.Barack Obamagrassroots fundraising Barack Obama's decline of public funding allowed him to raise as much as he wanted and spend as much as he wanted