Article Title

Ad Watch 3.0: Developing Audiovisual and Narrative Techniques for Engaging the Audiovisual Content of Political Advertising

Authors

Glenn W. Richardson Jr., Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaFollow

Peer Reviewed

1

DOI

10.13008/2151-2957.1089

Abstract

Analysis of the evolution and practice of ad watch journalism during the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 presidential campaigns suggests a robust level of ad watch activity, fostered in part by advances in communications technology and the proliferation of actors with means and motive. The efforts of ad watch practitioners to police egregious distortions and deceptions continue to provide an important baseline in the broader discourse surrounding the veracity of campaign claims. Efforts to place the transgressions of campaign spots in a proper context, however, have been met with at best, mixed success. Among the principal challenges to building a better ad watch for the 21st century are engaging the way audiovisual elements of ads advance their case by evoking readily accessible narrative frames grounded in popular culture; developing the multiple metrics by which candidates’ fidelity to the truth over time can be effectively evaluated; and addressing arguments about the character of candidates, arguments often ostensibly framed in overtly policy terms.

Keywords

political advertising, ad watch, audio visual, political communication

Total Pages

60 pages

Rights

Copyright © 2012 Glenn W. Richardson, Jr.

Recommended Citation

Richardson, Glenn W. Jr. "Ad Watch 3.0: Developing Audiovisual and Narrative Techniques for Engaging the Audiovisual Content of Political Advertising." Poroi 8, Iss. 1 (2012): Article 4. https://doi.org/10.13008/2151-2957.1089

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this work was presented at the Foundations of Political Myth, Rhetoric and Symbolism Workshop at the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 31-September 3, 2006. The author wishes to thank the editor and anonymous Poroi reviewers for their helpful and constructive comments.