The Persuasive Power of Campaign Advertising

by Michael M. Franz and Travis N. Ridout

The Persuasive Power of Campaign Advertisingoffers a comprehensive overview of political advertisements and their changing role in the Internet age. Travis Ridout and Michael Franz examine how these ads function in various kinds of campaigns and how voters are influenced by them.

The authors particularly study where ads are placed, asserting that television advertising will still be relevant despite the growth of advertising on the Internet. The authors also explore the recent phenomenon of outrageous ads that “go viral” on the web-which often leads to their replaying as television news stories, generating additional attention.

The Persuasive Power of Campaign Advertisingfeatures the first analysis of the impact on voters of media coverage of political advertising and shows that televised political advertising continues to have widespread influence on the choices that voters make at the ballot box.

Reviews

“The Persuasive Power of Campaign Advertising combines academic knowledge and the wisdom of experience in election campaigns. It is an important contribution to the fields of political communication and campaigns. I recommend this insightful analysis to political professionals, working journalists, communications specialists, as well as students of campaigning and lobbying. It is an excellent book for university students studying campaigns, political communication, and public relations.”
—James A. Thurber, Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University

“Travis Ridout and Michael Franz have developed a persuasive message. Using an impressive array of data, they show when ads matter and when they do not matter. As a result, The Persuasive Power of Campaign Advertising is a book all serious scholars of political communication should have on their shelves.” 
—John G. Geer, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University

“The book offers a comprehensive overview of political advertising and its changing role in the Internet age, with an emphasis on television advertising. Marshalling an impressive amount of empirical evidence from recent elections, the authors examine precisely how ads function and influence voters in a variety of campaign environments…. The Persuasive Power of Campaign Advertising makes a compelling case that exposure to campaign advertising exerts widespread influence on the choices voters make at the ballot box. The authors’ incisive analyses and interpretations leave little doubt that campaign ads help shape voter preferences…. This timely and well-written book is a fine example of social science that is highly relevant and readily applicable to practical politics…. A must-read for those involved in professional politics, especially political media and advertising specialists.” 
—Campaigns & Elections