Politically Correct?

Really another political ad! Do you ever feel that way when you tune into the radio, when there is a commercial break during your television show, or more recently when you try to watch a YouTube video! Like come on people I want to watch the hilarious "Asking All Them Questions" video not another political ad.

        

Well I guess that is the bombardment of political ads we have to put up with during campaigning season for the upcoming elections. After watching I can’t even tell you how many political ads I have watched, but after watching my fair share of them, all I can help but notice is that all the advertisements are blatantly just trying to persuade you anyway they can using different tactics and techniques to get your vote for that candidate! Take a look for your self! 

Now that I pointed it out let me guess it totally sticks out to you more. Well if it did not stand out for you let me outline a few:

            During the video you probably noticed the main speaker is Bill Clinton. He represents a figure of credibility. This campaign ad uses a credibility persuasive technique because he speaking for both political parties and he is also an expert on making hard decisions because he is an ex-president. When a highly credible source supports an argument or belief people are more likely to agree with the credible source (Jacks & Cameron, 2003). So by using Bill Clinton the ad is trying to persuade people that as president you are faced with making decisions that can have many consequences. So during this ad it reminds everyone of how President Obama was faced with the hard decision of how to go about capturing Bin Laden during his term and in the end he made the correct decision. Then at the end they challenge how Romney would have handled the situation, which leads me into my next point.

            When the campaign ad said that Obama made the right decision and then stated the question of how would Romney have handled the situation uses an emotional persuasive technique. By using a credible source to explain a problem or threat then having that credible source pose a resolution to this problem or threat by giving us the people instructions of what we should act upon next (Aronson, 91). This tactic is a formula of fear + direction = action. This advertisement shows us frightening decisions that deal with life and death missions for our soldiers in the war. Then by challenging the idea that Romney would have not made the right decision and that since President Obama is capable of making hard decisions he is more dependable to make these hard decisions so therefore people have a better sense of security. This technique shows us a problem and then gives us a solution to that problem and in this specific advertisement we are being persuaded to vote for President Obama because he will keep us safe.

            Then since President Obama is keeping us, the people, safe we should reciprocate by voting for him back into Presidency for the next term. According to Robert Cialdini, he says that it is a societal norm that as human beings we feel obliged to reciprocate when we receive anything (Cialdini, 2004). This persuasive technique is known as reciprocity. Cialdini gives an example of when the Disabled American Veterans organization mails a survey and includes free personalized mailing labels people are more likely to fill out that survey when given the labels and then when they are just given the survey (Cialdini, 2004). So in this advertisement we are shown that President Obama has given us the sense of trust in President Obama and the respect of a well thought through decision so in turn we should reciprocate this act by voting for him.

            These techniques have shown that they work for advertisements because they are able to persuade us into believing or changing our minds into what they are feeding us. I personally feel that this advertisement does a good job for the most part subtly using the persuasive techniques, but be weary to trust what you are being told because you never know who is speaking the truth. So when you are listening to the radio, watching a commercial during your favorite television shows break, or watching that entertaining YouTube video just think back to this blog and keep a critical eye open when you are exposed to these advertisements.

                                         Always,

                                            Terese Cabanting

                                            caban465@regis.edu

                                                                   References:

Aronson, E. (2011). The social animal. (eleventh ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Cialdini, R. B., & R. B., C. C. (2004). the SCIENCE of Persuasion. Scientific American Special             Edition, 14(1), 70-77.

Zuwerink Jacks, J., & Cameron, K. A. (2003). Strategies for Resisting Persuasion. Basic &             Applied Social Psychology, 25(2), 145-161.