Television Advertising: Dwight D. Eisenhower Answers America

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Introduction Advertising has been a prevalent aspect of the United States political system since its introduction. Today it is not uncommon for presidential candidates to make nightly appearances during a campaign in the living rooms of the American public. In 1952 with no set precedent in presidential elections for the use of television advertising, Dwight D. Eisenhower used a series of short commercials entitled Eisenhower Answers America to distinguish his campaign from his competitor (Wood, 1990). From the earliest day of television research, the medium has been considered as having a strong potential to contribute to a more informed and inclusive community, a staple of a nonpartisan democracy (Gurevitch, Coleman, & Blumler, 2009). The …show more content…

The accusation of television shifting the focus of political disclosure from the issues to candidate personality has become more prominent, “policy issues and concerns are more often associated with the faces of political leaders rather than with their political, ideological, and philosophical underpinnings.” (Gurevitch, Coleman, & Blumler, 2009, p.166) Polls done in the year 2000 found that nearly sixty percent of the public was dissatisfied with how candidates conduct campaigns, siting the negativity associated with campaigns as cause for dissatisfaction (Geer, 2008). Since the focus has shifted to the show put on by candidates through their advertisements rather than the presentation of ideals, the educational value of electoral campaigns has diminished. Along with advertisements, the use of televised debates has become a battleground for physical style, moving American culture towards an alternate means of conducting important business (Postman, 2006). This shift in focus is blurring the already fine line between show business and political disclosure. While the entertainment value of campaign advertisement has increased, the perception of these ads is negative. American voters are inclined to see negative attack ads as an undermining factor of the election process and the …show more content…

The ability to advertise in the political realm has moved from print and television to the Internet. As with the introduction of television into politics in 1952, the 2004 presidential election pushed the standards of the use of the Internet as a tool for political communication. Campaign websites converted the traditional media of television advertisements, press releases, fliers, and brochures to a digital format (Lynda & Postelnicu, 2005). Through the new media of the Internet, Americans can be active participants in the political process in a greater way than was possible just a few decades ago. There is an increase in the ability to actively participate in the political conversation. With the most popular online political resource being blogs, comedy sites, government websites, candidate sites or alternative sites there are more ways for advertisements to reach a larger number of individuals (Gurevitch, Coleman, & Blumler,

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