Leadership can always been portrayed whether it is through a message, ad, in person, short interaction, etc. Besides the actions taken by individuals, the perception of others has also played a major role, specifically the media. If we focus on the campaign used during election season, there are many different takes the ads can deliver such as following the candidate and giving their mission, share a little but about themselves, share negative aspects pf the other party or opponent, etc. They also focus on specific problems or concerns they not only want to address but the issues the public wants to hear about. After their take, many celebrities or people of authority and power will also share their beliefs or endorse candidates which can persuade people to choose one candidate over another. And we can not forget about the candidate’s slogan/ music jingle that stands out to constantly remind the public to vote for them.
One of my favorite ads was the one with Carter that shared information about himself like he is a southerner, and his concerns for the people/ who he was working for justice for to give a voice. The ad was short and to the point allowing the public to see who he was and what he was working to achieve without dragging it out. The ending also had his name and a slogan “A leader, for a change.” The ending reiterates who the candidate is and what he can easily be associated with (the slogan). There were many that were similar to this ad but the one from 1976 with Jimmy Carter stood out to me the most.
Carter continues to play of his southern identity during the 1980 election. Its interesting to see how his gentleman persona did very well with voters when contrasted with Nixon’s terms, but ended up not being very popular just four years later against Reagan.
What I find interesting is that the general public knows the intention of social media and advertisements, especially from Presidents. Despite knowing its purpose, individuals continue to be persuaded by the media and heavily influenced by celebrities. Will there ever be a point where people have had enough with the media? When will the media have a smaller effect on people’s lives? I think especially with covid, people are starting to get fed up with the media instilling fear and I wonder how it will further impact the rest of our lives.
I think you bring up an important aspect of persuasion within ads. Most of the time it’s better to be short and to the point. Most people don’t have a large attention span all of the time, so if an ad is short and to the point, it can ensure that most people will remember the point.