The Ultimate Campaign Project
1) Students will create a political advertisement for an imaginary politician (running for president) to be played by one of your group members. There will be 6 groups in this class, each representing a core constituency. (Use the same groups that you formed for you’re your political party presentations.) (Republican, Reform, Democratic, Tea, Socialist, Green, and Libertarian) You will be targeting registered members of your political party in this project. Select the one individual from your group who you feel would be the best candidate. If this is difficult, take the democratic approach, and vote on it. Once your candidate is selected, other group members must be public relations, campaign manager, commercial endorsers (actors and researchers) in charge of your candidate’s platform regarding the following 4 key issues:
· federal campaign finance rules (p.247)
· the function and funding of interest groups in the U.S. (chp.11)
· three key social movements: environmental, feminist, and union (p.274-276)
· rules governing the media and media bias (p.301-307)
2) Specific Guidelines include:
A. Students should invent a fictional story about the politician’s background and know where he/she stands on the four central issues. The campaign manager should write a brief one paragraph biography of their candidate that will be read as an introduction on the day of the presentation. Each public relations manager must fully understand their central issue and write a (2 paragraph minimum) summary that explains how the process works now, and write a 1 paragraph official public statement explaining their candidate’s stance on the issue.
B. Students create their own one to two minute ad. Components of this ad should include
· dialogue for the advertisement
· music or other background sounds
· setting
· special effects
C. Groups will present their ads in class, with readings or skits.
D. For the ad keep in mind the following questions:
· Who is your intended audience? You must remember your core constituency! What issues are important to your audience?
· What are you trying to convince them to do or think?
· Which of the 4 issues are important to your candidate? How does your ad address these issues?
E. On the day of the debate, you will introduce your candidate = read their biography and show your political ad. Your candidate must be in character - dressed up, knowledgeable and ready to win the presidency or the seat in the House or Senate! Public relations managers must turn in the written portions of the assignment on presentation day.
F. Democrats and Republicans will be running for President.
G. The other 4 groups will be competing for congressional seats, one of the seats will be an open seat, while the other will be fighting an incumbent v. challenger.
The Ultimate Campaign Project (continued)
Major Roles:
1. Candidate for office (Presidential or Congressional) Make speeches, create storyline, prep for debate
2. Public Relations – PR – create ads for class, interviews, etc.
3. Campaign Manager – plans where funding is coming from, PACs? Interest Groups? Create ad from one interest group – can not coincide with Public Relations
- create the story of your candidate, help candidate prep for debate day.
4. Commercial Endorsers – Act in the ads, help design commercials, attack ads, research, etc.
Major Components of the Campaign Project:
1. Debate, on Friday 10/4 against your opponent(s)
2. Ad – at least 3 (maybe 4) – on different days to gain votes for your candidate.
A. Monday (30 second spot) – ad/commercial
B. Tuesday – i. 8 ½ x 11 paper – written ad to put in our room.
ii. Commercial Ad - :30 sec. to 1 minute
C. Wednesday – News report/interview – 1:00 to 1:30
D. Thursday – 10/3 – Last ads (:30 sec. to 1 min.) and 1 more written ad!
E. Friday. – Pres. and Cong. Debates
F. Monday – Voting Day – Vote for each of the elections – Register and vote
3. Research your issues, advertising strategies, Elections and Campaigns (Ch. 10), Interest Groups (Ch. 11) , Media (Ch. 12)
Address the Key issues: (Primarily in the Debate, but include whenever you want)
A. Campaign Finance Reform (needed? Why/not?)
B. Function and Funding of Campaigns by Interest Groups (Needed? Good and Bad?)
C. Social Movements (Where do you stand on them, and why?)
i. Environmental Movement
ii. Feminist Movement
iii. Union Movement
D. Media (are they biased, how, should they be reformed? Why/not?)
Minor Components:
1. Create a master list for each person, what they are going to do, what they will research, etc.
2. Organize your plans, philosophy, and pay attention to your constituency.
Constituency Based on Pres. v. Cong. Election
Presidential Election
Congressional Elections
4. Written Ads – (2) – to be placed up in the room, one an attack ad, one of your candidate with a slogan. (picture?)
How Do Candidates Get Your Attention?
A Guide to Campaign Advertisements
Your campaign ad must employ at least two of the following 8 techniques:
A. Testimonial – endorsements from celebrities and other well-known people.
B. Mudslinging – often referred to as “attack ads,” the TV, radio and print advertisements make assertions about the opponent in a variety of unflattering ways. Name-calling and/or groundless assertions about one candidate by his/her opponent. This advertising strategy is used by a candidate primarily to create a negative impression of one’s opponent. This strategy may backfire and create a negative impression of the candidate who is responsible for the creation of the negative ad if used excessively, or in a manner that is perceived as false, deceptive, “tasteless” or “going too far.”
C. Transfer – Use of popular symbols to create a positive connotation for the candidate or the use of negative or controversial symbols to create a negative connotation of one’s opponent.
Example: Positive: Ads that feature pleasant music, beautiful outdoor country or rural scenery, happy families, playful children, successful teams or businesses etc.
Negative: Talking about an opponent’s record with ominous music in the background, using black and white photos, visually shocking images such as oil spills, home foreclosure, car accidents, prison bars etc. Images of one’s opponent in slow motion causing the eye’s to blink slowly, thereby giving the impression of disinterest, laziness and/or intoxication.
D. Card stacking – Use of statistics, often in a one-sided manner; the omission of information that is crucial to drawing an informed and balanced conclusion.
Example: 95% of citizens surveyed support Mrs. Jones for City Council;
“Time after time, my opponent voted against legislation that would have supported new jobs in our community.”
E. Plain Folks – An attempt by a candidate to appeal to the average voter as just “one of the people.”
Example: Lamar Alexander in 1996 wearing his trademark red and black-checkered shirt. Any candidate ad where he or she appears with no jacket or suit, shirtsleeves rolled up and/or wearing a sweater. Usually doing everyday task such as shopping at the supermarket or walking down a street or “visiting” with neighbors. Another technique that fits this category is one where the candidate does not appear in the ad, but “average” people on the street stop to talk about the candidate. The negative version of this would be “man on the street” interviews where the interviewees are critical of the opponent.
F. Glittering Generalities – Usually the first type of ad used in a campaign, these spots are designed to introduce a candidate to the voters. Needless to say, like any introduction, these types of ads are almost always very positive. Designed to leave the viewer with a very good first impression. This ad type uses very vague words and phrases that have a positive effect on the viewer and appeal to a variety of interests.
Example: Ads use images and phrases that are virtually impossible not to like such as: “Working for your family,” “Building a Bridge To The Future,” “Saving Our Schools” “Improving America” “Saving Social Security” “Building One America” etc. The images are usually of a perfect world with happy families and children in pleasant surroundings on sunny days with blue skies or images of the candidate hard at work, sleeves rolled up, actively engaged in conversation with people in a “responsible” business environment.
G. Bandwagon – Similar to card stacking, this is an attempt to convey a sense of momentum and to generate a positive “everybody’s doing it so you should too” mentality.
Example: Voice-overs in commercials stating “Polls show Robert Stone leading in the race for the United States Senate.” Large groups of people greeting a candidate or carrying signs in support. Group testimonials and/or corporate endorsements such as: “Endorsed by the National Association of Retired Persons,” or “Endorsed by the National Education Association.”
H. Contrast Ad – Juxtaposing positive images of one’s candidacy with negative images of the opponent in the same ad.
Example: Split screens with Hillary Clinton in color moving at regular speed and her opponent Rick Lazio in black and white moving in slow motion. Images of two candidates on screen as a voice over denounces the opponent followed by a red X appearing over the opponent’s face.
Use of the following strategies may strengthen your campaign ad – You can wink to let us know you have done it!:
subliminal messages
attention grabber
sex appeal
testimonial
half-truths (lying by ommission, quoting out of context, ...)
emotionally charged (loaded) words
flattery
deflection techniques (could come in handy during the debate):
a) changing the subject (bringing up a new issue)
b) answering a question with a question
c) attacking the source (ridicule your attackers)
d) creating a distraction
e) lightning rod (someone to take the heat for you)
f) the "no-denial" denial
lowering expectations ("lowballing")
empathy ("I feel your pain")
misleading statistics
slogans and theme songs
repetition
children and animals
scapegoating (identifying a common enemy such as "Washington bureaucrats")
wedge issues (devisive)
defining your opponent (inexperienced, weak on law and order, tax and spend Liberal, Conservative extremist, etc.)
spin
positive ads
negative (attack) ads
audience targeting (Soccer Moms, young voters, baby boomers, ethnic, religious groups, etc)
sound bites (instant audio or visual message)
personal image (heroic, decisive, energetic, bold, compassionate, outsider, "can-do", etc.)
presentation techniques (clothing style and colors, hand and arm gestures - ex."Nixon salute", handshake, eye contact, posture, emotional appeal, drama, timing, vocal inflections, accent, volume, etc.)
audience participation (get the audience chanting and cheering, walk among the crowd , etc.)
symbols (eagle, crown, rising sun, etc.)
momentum (moving up in the polls)
flag waving (patriotic appeal)