The financial crisis feared during the election of 2008 was the reality of the 2012 campaign. The American economy was weak and the unemployment rate was growing. These tough conditions contributed to the overwhelming negativity of the 2012 campaigns. This election exceeded all others in spending on television advertising time and unspeakably high production costs from both candidates. A chart from Washington Post had the Obama campaign’s advertising spending weighing in around $404 Million dollars and Mitt Romney’s campaign spending at a whopping $492 Million. It is estimated that over a billion dollars was spent on television advertisements in this election year proving that the Internet had not taken away from the importance of the tv ad. Obama’s campaign used a strategy familiar from George W. Bush’s second term. The negative ads tried to define Mitt Romney as a candidate who cared more for the wealthy than the common people hurt by the weak economy. The addition of celebrities and pop culture was still present during this election and the use of web ads was higher than ever.
The campaigns of 2012 are an example of what Americans can expect to see in advertisements during the 2016 campaigns. The blurring of popular culture and politics to grab the attention of the youth will continue to increase. More than anything, the spending is expected to increase in future campaigns. The shift from defining yourself as a candidate to defining your opponent is one of the newer attack advertising methods. The integration of social media in presidential campaigns will be increasingly important for candidates wanting to win an election.
Throughout history certain types of advertisements have remained popular in campaigns while others have died off with the creation of new technologies. The use of twitter has sped up the news cycle beyond compare and now Americans expect an instant response from candidates to attacks. Rapid response teams are crucial to staying in touch with the public. Cartoons and jingles are in the past, but the “Morning in America” advertisement is certain to be imitated for years. A few years before the first televised campaign advertisement in 1952, less than one percent of Americans had a television. By the next election in 1956 the amount of American households with a television had grown to nearly half of the population. When the 1960 campaigns came around America was well on the way to becoming a TV nation with around 80 percent of households having a television. Today the rate has increased to around 97 percent. With practically 100 percent of the population owning their own televisions it is understandable why billions of dollars are spent on television advertising by campaigns.
By following the evolution of campaign advertisements in America it is apparent that there are a few types of ads directly related to the current hot topics in the country. During war-time advertisements focus on portraying the candidate as commander-in-chief. During economic turmoil advertisements attempt to make the candidate relatable to the average person. It is common to see a biographical advertisement focusing on humble beginnings during these types of campaigns. When there is no obvious issue at the forefront of an election campaigns focus on domestic issues and personality based advertisements to win over public approval. Although types of television advertisements are always changing the importance of the ads to a campaign is not.
Television advertisements may not make or break an entire campaign for a candidate, but they make an impact. Attack ads do not always contain accurate information but they make an impression on the viewer. Some recent research estimates that four out of five Americans receive the majority of their knowledge on a candidate’s positions and character from advertisements rather than the news. The most false of attack ads can leave a lasting memory in the mind of an uninformed voter and hurt a candidate on Election Day. The spread of television and the instant ability to share an advertisement online makes the impact of negative advertisements immense. If a high production advertisement is provocative or shocking it gets free airtime on newscasts. Even if a television advertisement gets pulled from being aired for being false or misleading it can have a second life online. For these reasons and many others, television advertising is more important than ever in presidential campaigns.