Political Ad Analyzing Worksheet
Political Ad Analysis Worksheet
©2004 by Frank Baker, revised 2015 (for use as a HANDOUT, print as LANDSCAPE or HORIZONTAL )
Teachers: Have your students view a campaign commercial first with no instruction. Next, distribute this page as a handout.
Assign different students one of the columns; play the ad again. Have each student report and share their observations.
| WHERE the ad was seen/heard (social media, TV, radio) |
WHEN the ad aired: if broadcast |
AUDIENCE/ DEMOGRAPHIC who is targeted |
TYPE see list below |
SPONSOR candidate, party, Super PAC |
IMAGES*
see list below |
SOUNDS*
see list below |
TECHNIQUES (listed below) |
|
| Ad #1 | ||||||||
| Ad #2 | ||||||||
| Ad #3 |
| Types of Political ads : Negative – One candidate portrays the other in an unfavorable ligh Warm and Fuzzy – Candidates make the viewer feel good about the country or his/her campaign. Biography & Vision: emphasize the candidate’s life or “vision” for America Humorous – Candidates elicit a laugh or smile from the viewer. Scary – Candidates evoke images of fear (usually combined with a Negative ad) Advocacy- advocates for/against a certain position(s) on an issue/person Trust: seek to convince voters that the candidate is someone they can trust to lead them during challenging times |
* Things to pay attention to: Colors Superimposed Words Props Code Words People Music Symbols Clothing |
| Techniques: Appeals to fear/prejudice; bandwagon; card stacking; fancy figures; flattery/insincerity; glittering generality; image transfer; loaded words; name calling; negativity; inferences as facts; quotes out of context; repetition; rumor mongering; warm and fuzzy image; catchy words/phrases |