Name_________________________
Political Propaganda Assignment
Purpose: Many people tend to think of political advertisements as boring commercials that really don’t say much of anything. They frequently annoy us, and we often wonder if anyone really watches them or if anyone even cares. Of course, many political commercials are bad, but some are really good. Indeed many of them are boring, but not all of them. Some are amusing; some are silly; and some may even surprise you. Political advertising does affect us. The purpose of this assignment is to help you realize how these advertisements affect American voters.
Things to think about: Which types of ads do you respond to most? Which types tell you the most about the candidates? Which annoy you the most? Which are the most effective in conveying their message? How have political ads changed over time?
Directions: You and your partner will use the websites listed below to analyze several political commercials from past Presidential election campaigns. First, watch commercials from different time periods. It is interesting to see how political ads have changed over time. After watching several advertisements, choose THREE commercials and complete the questions for each advertisement. Try to choose two from different years. (Do NOT do both from the same campaign or person.)
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/
This site has commercials from 1952 to 2012. Go to the website. You will see a timeline on your left. Watch commercials from several election years.
Some recommended commercials to view:
1952- Eisenhower: Ike for President (cartoon)
1964- Johnson: Peace Little Girl (Daisy)
1984- Reagan: Prouder, Stronger, Better
2000- Bush: Priority MD RNC
Please note:
I encourage you to play around with this site and watch several commercials before choosing which ones to analyze.
Have fun watching these ads! (Really, they’re not all bad.)
Commercial One:
Candidate and Title______________________________________________________
Year_____________
1. What audience is the candidate trying to reach? In other words, who is the target (can be more than one)?
2. Type(s) of Propaganda Used
_____Bandwagon _____Testimonial _____Card Stacking
_____Plain Folks _____Glittering Generalities _____Transfer
_____Name calling _____Appeal to Emotion _____Guilt by Association
_____Other: identify type __________________________________
3. What is the focus of the advertisement? (Can be more than one)
_____Issues _____Name Recognition Building _____Performance Record
_____Character _____Background/Experience _____Bash other candidate
4. What is the tone? Positive/ Negative? Do the spoken words ask questions? Make demands or challenges? Make promises?
5. What are the dominant visual images? What’s the setting? What messages are they trying to send?
6. What kind of music is being used? What’s the message?
7. What messages do the written text or spoken words convey?
8. What do you remember most from the ad?
9. What is your overall evaluation of the ad?
A good contribution to voter learning ______
A clever, but not very useful ad for voter learning ______
An unfair ad in terms of substance ______
An unfair ad in terms of visual or audio trickery ______
Why do you say this?
Commercial Two:
Candidate and Title______________________________________________________
Year_____________
1. What audience is the candidate trying to reach? In other words, who is the target (can be more than one)?
2. Type(s) of Propaganda Used
_____Bandwagon _____Testimonial _____Card Stacking
_____Plain Folks _____Glittering Generalities _____Transfer
_____Name calling _____Appeal to Emotion _____Guilt by Association
_____Other: identify type __________________________________
3. What is the focus of the advertisement? (Can be more than one)
_____Issues _____Name Recognition Building _____Performance Record
_____Character _____Background/Experience _____Bash other candidate
4. What is the tone? Positive/ Negative? Do the spoken words ask questions? Make demands or challenges? Make promises?
5. What are the dominant visual images? What’s the setting? What messages are they trying to send?
6. What kind of music is being used? What’s the message?
7. What messages do the written text or spoken words convey?
8. What do you remember most from the ad?
9. What is your overall evaluation of the ad?
A good contribution to voter learning ______
A clever, but not very useful ad for voter learning ______
An unfair ad in terms of substance ______
An unfair ad in terms of visual or audio trickery ______
Why do you say this?
Commercial Three:
Candidate and Title______________________________________________________
Year_____________
1. What audience is the candidate trying to reach? In other words, who is the target (can be more than one)?
2. Type(s) of Propaganda Used
_____Bandwagon _____Testimonial _____Card Stacking
_____Plain Folks _____Glittering Generalities _____Transfer
_____Name calling _____Appeal to Emotion _____Guilt by Association
_____Other: identify type __________________________________
3. What is the focus of the advertisement? (Can be more than one)
_____Issues _____Name Recognition Building _____Performance Record
_____Character _____Background/Experience _____Bash other candidate
4. What is the tone? Positive/ Negative? Do the spoken words ask questions? Make demands or challenges? Make promises?
5. What are the dominant visual images? What’s the setting? What messages are they trying to send?
6. What kind of music is being used? What’s the message?
7. What messages do the written text or spoken words convey?
8. What do you remember most from the ad?
9. What is your overall evaluation of the ad?
A good contribution to voter learning ______
A clever, but not very useful ad for voter learning ______
An unfair ad in terms of substance ______
An unfair ad in terms of visual or audio trickery ______
Why do you say this?