Introduction
The modern world is filled with advertising, and a person can find it on social media, television, radio, movies, and books. For the neoliberal world, this trend has become the norm as companies are eager to sell their products, and consumers want to have them. Unfortunately, the demand for many products is artificial, since advertising makes people want to buy. For example, new clothes, cosmetics, or a gadget can be unnecessary for people, since their needs are already met, but they still buy new things to satisfy their thirst for consumption. However, one of the most noticeable negative aspects is that many advertising mechanisms also operate in the political environment, turning citizens into consumers, which one can see in the 2016 election results.
How Citizens Turn into Consumers
People are increasingly dependent on advertising in various forms, whether it’s a video or photo post on social media or a product recommendation from friends. This trend is understandable if one analyzes modern life’s pace and the load of the information space. Most people do not have the time and desire to read and analyze dozens of articles and the characteristics of many products to choose the best one, so it’s easier for them to trust in advertising. This consumption habit is often also transferred to other intangible areas, such as cinema, music, literature, and politics. However, if people’s preferences in the first three areas do not have a critical effect on society, then the political choices of people decide the fate of the state.
However, the main question remains whether political advertising actually has the same effect, features, and goals as commercial ads. Han argues that the neoliberal world turns citizens into consumers (10). Hence, this process should be reflected in the technologies of building political campaigns for election races. One considering commercial and political advertising can note similarities in its construction mechanisms, mistakes, and effects, which means that Han’s thesis is correct generally.
The first feature is that most often, advertising gives people the opportunity to know about the product and the candidate and choose based on the advertised features. For example, Holtz-Bacha and Just note that many citizens choose their candidate by watching advertising based on the similarities of their political preferences but do not further delve into his or her program. Han also notes that modern voters are passive consumers, so this approach is convenient (10). A similar situation exists with goods, such as when a person prefers to buy yogurt because advertising says about its usefulness and lack of sugar.
In addition, Holtz-Bacha and Just also say that the larger the volume of advertising, the more votes the candidate receives. In other words, the more recognizable a candidate is, the more likely he or she is to get voting preferences, which is also a feature for commercial products. A specific example of such an advertisement is the political race between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, which had one of the most significant publicity and controversy in the United States. At the same time, most Americans have not already remembered the names of presidential candidates from other parties.
Another feature similar to commercial and political advertising is its diversity and varieties. Today, candidates can use time on television, targeted advertising on social media, opinion experts, and bloggers, as well as official events and debates as a way to express themselves. For example, although Trump’s political company included all kinds of advertising, he spent little money buying time on television. The main feature of Trump is the sharpness and eccentricity of his performances, so journalists used his speeches in the news, which became a feature of his PR campaign (Holtz-Bacha and Just). Although this approach is not so common for commercial companies because of the high cost, they also organize promotions or events to attract public attention.
Moreover, the common feature is the use of famous people and bloggers to get the votes of citizens. Bloggers publish posts on social networks that thousands of their subscribers see, famous people become brand ambassadors or participate in promotional videos. However, while advertising for company products rarely carries high risks, many famous people remain neutral in expressing their political preferences to avoid condemnation. Yet, in both cases, this advertising approach has influences as people tend to listen to the opinions of those people whom they consider authoritative for themselves. Therefore, in fact, political and commercial ads have the same goals in attracting the attention of citizens.
Features of Creating an Advertising and Its Mistakes
In addition to the similar goals of political and commercial advertising, they also have common features of their creating that lead to failure or success. The main ones are the choice of the target audience, the use of images, as well as audio and visual techniques. The first feature of both types of advertising is determined at the early stages of the emergence of a product or political ideology and are characteristics that attract the public.
Further, marketing or PR technologists use these features following the interests of the target audience, and its correct choice is critical. For example, in 2016, Trump won by focusing on radical changes in migration policy, economic growth, and unemployment in the United States, which helped to receive the votes of most Americans from small states. According to Han, one can justify the success of this approach by the fact that today, voters are accustomed only to criticizing the government (10). A political expert in the video before the election speaks of the correctness of such tactics since Trump had practically no chance to win in the bigger states that have more weight (“Watch Donald”). Thus, Trump’s campaign was aimed at smaller and numerous states and covered the problems affecting then, which is the right choice of the target audience.
Another feature is the audio and visual images in advertising, as well as the concept that underlies it. Political advertising is divided into three types: negative, positive, and contrast, depending on its emphasis. In one of Trump’s videos, one may note the features of contrast advertising as, in the beginning, a negative attitude to Clinton’s ideas is expressed, and then it changed with a positive influence of Trump’s ideology (“Watch Donald”). At the same time, it is worth noting that the first part of the video has gray colors, while the second is brighter and more optimistic. The political expert also notes that negative advertising, or an attack against Clinton, has a positive effect on Trump; however, he needs to move towards positive advertising for improving his reputation (“Watch Donald”). Nevertheless, Han emphasizes that such attacks and scandals around politicians are a manifestation of the transparency that voters require; therefore, it is beneficial for advertising (10). For example, Clinton and Trump’s statements against each other brought them great fame along with adverse effects. Therefore, the strategy of choosing an advertising design is also critical.
Similar features are known to commercial marketing specialists since images, music, and ideas also bring both a positive result or vice versa cause negative emotions in viewers. For example, the image of a happy family is beneficial for the commercial of diapers. At the same time, advertising can be outrageous both because of discrimination or accidental wrong word choice; for example, if it has stereotypical gender roles. Thus, such ads repel consumers from buying the goods. As mentioned earlier, the influence of colors, music, and images is also decisive for political advertising as it subconsciously affects voters’ choices (Holtz-Bacha and Just). Therefore, in this aspect, political and commercial advertising also have many similarities.
Effects of Advertising
All these similarities between political and commercial advertising suggest that their effect on people should also be the same. However, this influence only partially confirms the idea of turning the society of citizens into consumers, since the impact of political advertising is still controversial. Thus, political and commercial advertising increases the demand for a product or candidate, but this effect is short-term and not decisive.
The primary purpose of commercial advertising is to sell goods, or inform customers about them and increase demand for it. The aim of political advertising is also to increase the popularity of the candidate; however, the mechanisms of this process are more complex. Advertising should push the voter to come to the elections and choose a candidate, but quite often, it can work the opposite way. Holtz-Bacha and Just, for example, point out that advertising has a more significant effect on less well-known candidates, and its impact on famous politicians is average. At the same time, in some states, a thousand votes can affect the results of elections.
Moreover, the advertising context has a significant impact on people as it can push the voter to participate in elections or, on the contrary, repel them. For instance, an unsuccessful advertisement or program of a candidate can make a person vote for his or her opponent to prevent his or her victory. Frequent advertising can also bother a person and deprive him or her desire to vote in general. Holtz-Bacha and Just note that negative and cynical advertising from several candidates can push citizens away from participating in elections and even watching the news. For example, during the election race, Clinton and Trump both attacked each other intensely that could be too harsh for some people. At the same time, most of the population is still indifferent to advertising and focuses on other factors to make their choice (Holtz-Bacha and Just). Consequently, political advertising has many effects on public opinion, depending on its characteristics.
Another interesting similarity between political and commercial advertising is also the duration of the effect. A company receives a significant increase in demand for successfully advertising products in a short time, and then it is gradually declining. However, during this time, the company manages to get new regular customers. Political advertising has a similar effect; however, due to the intensity of election races and methods of influence, this effect can change rapidly. Holtz-Bacha and Just note that the impact of advertising lasts a maximum of six weeks, and the achievement of the first weeks of the races makes little sense. A video by Wall Street Magazine confirms this statement, since the announcer talks about Clinton’s victory in almost all polls, although Trump won the election after a few weeks (“Watch Donald”). Therefore, although commercial and political advertising has similarities in the short duration of their effect, this feature does not matter mostly for products, while for politicians, it is critical.
However, the results of the recent presidential election, as well as of a political company and advertising, demonstrate that the line between business and politics is blurred. Correct advertising of the candidate in various forms is for citizens the same type of consumption as viewing commercials of products and goods. Undoubtedly, many U.S. citizens voted for their candidate in 2016, not only because of information that was imposed on them from outside. However, as demonstrated by the latest attempt at impeachment, many speeches against the current President, and his low rating, citizens were not critical enough in their choice.
Conclusion
Therefore, this comparison of commercial and political advertising demonstrates that the line between business and politics is becoming increasingly blurred. The constant flow of information and various opinions, as well as the high pace of life, forces people to be passive and rely on advertising. This approach confirms Han’s thesis that the neoliberal world turns citizens into consumers. This feature evokes concerns as the consumer rather than a critical approach to political information pushes people to make the wrong choice that can lead to negative consequences for the whole country. History knows many such examples, but in the past, they were reasoned by a lack of information, and today they can be caused by its excess. Consequently, society needs to learn critical thinking and take a more responsible approach to the choice of its political leaders who have the power to rule the country.
Works Cited
Han, Byung-Chul. Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power. Verso Books, 2017.
Holtz-Bacha, Christina, and Marion R. Just. Routledge Handbook of Political Advertising. Routledge, 2017.
“Watch Donald Trump’s First Campaign TV Ad.” YouTube, uploaded by Wall Street Journal, 2020, Web.