Air Wars: Television Advertising and Social Media in Election Campaigns, 1952-2016 / Edition 7

by Darrell M. West

Overview

Tracing the evolution of political advertising from 1952 through 2016, Darrell M. West returns with his much anticipated Seventh Edition of Air Wars: Television Advertising and Social Media in Election Campaigns, 1952-2016. Integrating the latest data and key events from the 2016 campaigns—including the most provocative presidential campaign in recent decades and the surprising victory of Donald Trump—West provides in-depth examination and insight into how candidates plan and execute advertising and social media campaigns, how the media covers these campaigns, and how American voters are ultimately influenced by them.

This new edition includes coverage of social media campaigning, nano-targeting strategies in a fragmented electorate, and thorough analysis of the 2016 presidential campaign. It examines the candidates’ use of Twitter, concerns over falsehoods and deception, the impact of ads and debates on candidate perceptions, and the new risks to democratic elections brought about by these campaigns.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506329833
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	03/31/2017
Edition description:	Seventh Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Darrell M. West is the Vice President of Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He is the author of 22 books, including Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21^st Century and Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust.

Table of Contents

Tables ix

Preface xi

Pictorial History xiii

1 The History of Communications 1

From Newspapers and Television to the Internet and Social Media 1

Broadcasting Strategies 5

Narrowcasting 6

Microcasting 6

Nanocasting 7

Conclusion 9

2 Effective Ads and Social Media Promotion 11

Principles of Advertising 12

Production Techniques 15

The Role of Money and Super PACs 20

Effective Tweeting 22

Third-Party Validation 23

Conclusion 24

3 Buying Air Time and Using Social Media 25

The Strategies of Ad Buying 25

The Study of Ad Buys 27

Ad Frequency and Diversification 27

Vapor Ads 33

Social Media Outreach 33

Targeting Strategies 35

Conclusion 38

4 Messages 39

Substantive Content 39

Prominent Ads 40

The Paucity of Policy Appeals 41

Shifts Over Time 42

The Rise of Internet Sites 44

The Rise of Negative Advertising 49

The Objects of Negativity 53

Conclusion 55

5 Media Coverage 57

The Increasing Coverage of Ads 58

Horse-Race Coverage of Ads 59

"Daisy," "Daisy II," and the "Revolving Door" 60

Swift Boat Veterans Ads 62

2008 Ads 63

2012 Ads 64

2016 Ads 66

Conclusion 67

6 Learning About the Candidates 69

Citizens' Knowledge and Evaluations of Candidates 70

The Impact of the Campaign 75

Ads and the Vote 81

Conclusion 84

7 Setting the Agenda 85

The Media's Role in Agenda Setting 85

Policy and Campaign Components of the Agenda 87

The Influence of Individual Ads 88

A Fixed Agenda 89

A Fluid Agenda 91

It's Still the Economy, Stupid! 92

Shifting the Focus 93

A Chaotic World 94

Conclusion 95

8 Playing the Blame Game 97

Blame Dukakis 97

Blame Bush 100

Blame Terrorists 102

Blame Bush and McCain 103

Blame Rom-ney 104

Blame the Establishment 106

Conclusion 106

9 Communications in Congressional Elections 109

Features of Congressional Campaigns 109

Historical Congressional Ads 110

Clinton Versus Giuliani and Lazio in 2000 111

2008 Senate Campaigns 113

2012 House and Senate Campaigns 115

2016 House and Senate Campaigns 117

Conclusion 118

10 Communications and Democratic Elections 119

Democratic Expectations 119

The Risk of Manipulation 121

The Importance of Fact-Checking 124

Lessons of Campaign Communications 126

Slicing and Dicing the Electorate 128

What Can Be Done 129

Conclusion 130

Appendix: Memorable Ads, 1984-2016 131

Notes 143

Index 157

About the Author 169

Editorial Reviews

Air Wars is a remarkably valuable text for those who are interested in learning about paid media advertising in American election campaigns. West does an admirable job of devoting attention to all aspects of the advertising process: the behind the scenes strategic considerations of the producers, the coverage by the news media, as well as their effects on the audience. Air Wars has become a permanent part of my Media and Politics course because of its thorough examination of the role played by paid media in modern campaigns.

Robert Dion

Air Wars is an engaging and well-written book on campaigns and campaign effects. It provides a comprehensive examination of television advertising in election campaigns. In particular, West supports his discussion of agenda-setting and priming, which is among the clearest I have read, with relevant examples from both historical and recent campaigns.

Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha

Air Wars has always helped my students develop a better understanding of the traditional political communication theories. West does a great job with the coverage of traditional advertising methods and historical ads.

Heather Evans