Campaign Ads Hit Hard

Campaign advertisements can have a significant impact on voters and the way that they choose to vote. Some display the candidate’s platform on certain issues while others go out of their way to challenge the ideas of other competitors. One advertisement in particular that really stuck out to me was an advertisement attacking Chris Gibson by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The ad displayed people marching up to the Capitol Building and then later inserted pictures of Chris Gibson and Paul Ryan, therefore making them part of this crowd that was marching up and into the building. What made me so interested in this ad was the way that it was attacking Gibson and how it went about emphasizing certain ideas in an attempt to receive the votes of an intended audience.

            What really stuck out was the emphasis on certain words throughout the advertisement. Some of the most mentioned phrases consisted of words such as: Medicare, seniors, and healthcare. There was a lot of emphasis on the taxes being increased on seniors whereas the wealthy are getting tax cuts. The repetition of words like seniors and healthcare is very significant because the audience is most likely going to remember specific ideas that are consistently mentioned. Another idea that contributes to the ideas that are consistently emphasized are the words that are put in bold throughout the advertisement.

            The advertisement sheds light on certain actions that Gibson had taken throughout his past term as a congressional representative. The ad strategically inserts Paul Ryan’s face into the advertisement towards the end of the ad to allude to the budget, which Paul Ryan had formed, in which Gibson voted for rather than against. This budget intended on slashing the budget for the Affordable Care Act in hopes of completely ending “Obamacare” (Alman). This would have a significant impact on people throughout the United States above the age of 65, which is why it seems as though that specific age group is their intended audience.

            The emphasis on certain words throughout the advertisement also clearly identifies who the intended audience is. The word “seniors” is constantly in bold font and one of the most mentioned phrases throughout the campaign ad. I think that the reason behind mentioning the idea of seniors so frequently is due to the fact that most voters during the election are going to be above the age of 65. There would be no point in creating ads for a younger audience when they are not the ones who would necessarily be voting as much in comparison to the older generation during this election. In summation, the DCCC strategically put out ad campaigns for intended audiences in the hopes of swinging their votes to vote against Gibson.

Alman, Ashley. "House Passes Paul Ryan's Budget With Big Cuts." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

"Chris Gibson: One of The Crowd." YouTube. YouTube, 6 Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.