Negative, Angry, and Ubiquitous: Political Advertising in 2012

Fowler, Erika Franklin; Ridout, Travis N.

doi:10.1515/forum-2013-0004

Cited by 62 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Fowler and Ridout (2013) show that in 2012 the majority (51.9%) of congressional campaign ads could be classified as negative. This is higher than in previous years, leading Fowler and Ridout (2013) to conclude that, "the percentage of positive ads in 2012 was lower than in any other set of congressional races going back to 2000. All told, there is a fairly visible trend of increasing negativity over time in the races for US House and US Senate" (p. 59).…”

Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All told, there is a fairly visible trend of increasing negativity over time in the races for US House and US Senate" (p. 59). Fowler and Ridout (2013) also note that while it is not fully clear why the use of negativity has increased so drastically over the past decade, this shift toward negativity stems as much from strategic decisions by the candidates themselves as from outside groups.…”

Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Accentuating the Negative: Candidate Race and Campaign Strategy

Krupnikov

Piston²

2015

Political Communication

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This article examines the impact of candidate race and campaign negativity on candidate evaluations and turnout. Unlike previous research, we argue that candidate race and campaign negativity should be considered simultaneously. In order to test this argument, we conduct a survey experiment of a nationally representative sample of White adults and a replication study. While we find, consistent with previous research, that respondents unfavorably evaluate candidates who decide to sponsor a negative ad, there are two important exceptions to this pattern: When the ad sponsor is Black, among White respondents who view Blacks negatively, the penalty for going negative is disproportionately large, while among White respondents who view Blacks positively, the penalty for going negative is disproportionately small. More generally, our findings suggest that the effects of candidate attributes and campaign strategy on voter behavior should not be considered in isolation, as they are mutually reinforcing.

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Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accentuating the Negative: Candidate Race and Campaign Strategy

Krupnikov

Piston²

2015

Political Communication

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“…These differences are reflected in political advertising. For example, Democrats running for Congress mentioned women's health frequently in their advertising in 2012 while Republicans almost ignored the issue (Fowler & Ridout, 2012). Gendered partisan images may also be reinforced by the sex composition of the parties' elected officials: More high-ranking women politicians are Democrats than Republicans (Elder, 2008;Winter, 2010).…”

Section: Partymentioning

confidence: 99%

In a Different Voice? Explaining the Use of Men and Women as Voice-Over Announcers in Political Advertising

Strach¹,

Zuber

Fowler

et al. 2015

Political Communication

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We draw on a comprehensive database of American political advertising and television audience profile data to investigate the ways in which gender influences choices about the use of voice-overs in political advertising. Our findings suggest that although men voice the vast majority of political ads, campaigns do strategically choose the sex of the voice-over announcer and that it systematically varies with candidate characteristics, ad tone, and, to a lesser extent, issues. Moreover, using survey data, we show that the choice of voice-over influences the perceived credibility of the ad.Modern political campaigns are increasingly sophisticated operations, and little is left to chance. Even minor decisions are made after careful study by experienced campaign professionals. This extends to decisions about political advertising, including what type of content to air, when and where. Indeed, the development of a political ad can be a lengthy process, one that includes message testing with focus groups, in order to get every last detail right (Johnson, 2001). In short, campaigns' choices about the content of their political ads are strategic, especially in well-financed campaigns for federal office.One of the choices that campaigns must make is whether to employ a voice-over announcer, and if so, whether that announcer should be a man or a woman. At first blush, that might seem to be a minor choice, but it is one that many campaigns take seriously-and one that is consequential. We will show that the choice of a man or woman to voice an ad varies systematically with several features of the ad and composition of the ad's intended audience. Moreover, using a wealth of survey data collected during the 2012 presidential campaign, we will show that the sex of the voice-over announcer influences perceptions of an ad's credibility, which is a known antecedent of persuasion

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“…At the federal level recent research has looked at issue messaging (and negativity) in advertising showing how they vary depending on the campaign source (Fowler and Ridout 2013). This kind of study could be extended to a comparative analysis in the states.…”

Section: Transparency and Accountabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Richer Parties, Better Politics? Party-Centered Campaign Finance Laws and American Democracy

Raja

2013

The Forum

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Would "party-centered" campaign finance laws that channel money primarily through party organizations improve American politics? Scholars have long argued that political parties are essential mediating institutions in a democracy. Yet in comparison to other democracies, American campaign finance laws have been designed to be "candidate-centered." Constraints on political parties have also created opportunities for interest groups to engage directly in campaigns in support of favored candidates and policies. The growing presence in elections of interest groups at the expense of formal party organizations thus has potential negative implications for the functioning of democracy. This paper explains what we know about the relationship between money, campaign finance laws, and political parties, with the goal of exploring whether party-centered campaign finance laws might improve elections, representation, and governing. Importantly, it emphasizes the need for new knowledge that may help in designing new campaign finance laws.

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Negative, Angry, and Ubiquitous: Political Advertising in 2012

Cited by 62 publications

References 5 publications

Accentuating the Negative: Candidate Race and Campaign Strategy

Accentuating the Negative: Candidate Race and Campaign Strategy

In a Different Voice? Explaining the Use of Men and Women as Voice-Over Announcers in Political Advertising

Richer Parties, Better Politics? Party-Centered Campaign Finance Laws and American Democracy

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