Questions For Students To Consider About Political Campaign Ads

Questions To Consider About Political Campaign Ads
Copyright 2016 by Frank W. Baker     www.frankwbaker.com/mlc
Political Campaigns & Political Advertising: A Media Literacy Guide
Below I’ve listed some of the questions students could research.
(I have also provided some links that might be helpful for students to read for possible answers.)

1. Who creates these ads?
2. What are the most common techniques used in these ads?
3. Do those clichéd techniques actually work?
4. What is “neuromarketing” and “behavioral targeting” and what role do they plan in reaching voters?
5. How much does it cost to buy time on television?
6. Why is there a large discrepancy between what a candidate pays for time and what a Super PAC pays?
7. Who benefits when campaigns buy time on TV?
8. How much money in total is expected to be spent on political advertising in the 2016 election cycle?
9. What are some of the TV programs I watch where I am most likely to see these ads?

Websites With Answers To Questions

1. (students should brainstorm to answer this one)
2.  http://www.ehow.com/info_8618687_types-political-propaganda-techniques.html
3.  http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/advertising.aspx
4.  Have your student research these terms.
5.  http://stations.fcc.gov   On this website, one can search using the call letters of a local station and open the political file which includes the actual contracts for candidates and SuperPacs
6. http://www.mentzermedia.com/issue-advertisers-pay-candidates-much-lot/
7. http://www.npr.org/2012/11/07/164576139/media-companies-benefit-from-political-ads-binge
8. http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/08/19/
432759311/2016-campaign-tv-ad-spending
9. http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-01-14/pacs-candidates-bet-on-morning-shows-wheel-of-fortune

Vocabulary For Students To Consider

Super PAC
Dark Money
Citizens United v FEC
Demographic
Target Audience