By ROBERT GOLDRICH
The ties between advertising and politics have been strong over the years-some would say too strong, given that television time has become dangerously important in helping to determine the outcome of national, state and even local elections. One school of thought is that TV stations should be obliged to provide free time to viable candidates for public office, which in turn would make the process less reliant on special interest money needed to fund media buys. While such a measure would represent progressive reform, it’s clear that more must be done when you look at the history of political advertising; a genre that’s traditionally been marked by mudslinging, scare tactics, misstating the issues and often misrepresenting the views and voting records of one’s opponents.
Yes, mudslinging can backfire, and many voters don’t get the credit they deserve for being able to see through misleading, heavy-handed messages. But the other effect of negative ad bombardments is the alienation of potential voters. Research has uncovered a 15 percent decline in national voter turnout since the early ’60s, arguably a time that saw the industry’s most compelling, manipulative, creative political advertising, perhaps embodied best in Lyndon Johnson’s presidential campaign against Sen. Barry Goldwater. The well-known "Daisy" spot showed a little girl plucking petals off a daisy, counting each petal. The countdown then segues to a mushroom cloud from an atomic explosion. Without even mentioning Goldwater, the ad cast doubt on the senator’s ability to lead the country based on his hawkish reputation.
According to some scholars, that ad unleashed a nuclear reaction of its own, by demonstrating the impact a spot could have on the political landscape. Others jumped aboard the manipulative bandwagon, and political advertising on TV grew uglier and less creative-and also led to people, particularly young voters, deciding to tune out of the political process altogether.
Now, as races get tighter, campaigns seemingly get nastier-the latest example being the contest between Gov. George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain in the Republican presidential primaries. After McCain’s New Hampshire win, the sniping began with a volley of negative spots as each candidate tried to discredit the other. Rather than bring about an even more vigorous discussion of the issues, a close race often begets more distorted attacks that further remove us from what’s important.
Many political scientists contend that the danger of dwindling voter turnout is that it often leaves decision-making to extremist factions who have axes to grind, and thus will surely exercise their voting muscle. Factions become more powerful when a significant cross-section of potential voters elect not to participate in the democratic process.
Underscoring that point is The Advertising Council’s "Y2Vote" campaign, which thankfully exercises the power of advertising to positively impact society. Designed to get out the vote, the campaign targets 18-to-24-year-olds who haven’t registered to vote, as well as those who have registered but aren’t showing up at voting booths.
The two spots-"Fritz & John" and "Clarence," out of Bates USA, New York-were directed, respectively, by Brian Aldrich and Martin Canellakis of bicoastal Coppos Films.
In "Fritz & John," for example, two whacked-out guys-grunge musicians with a possible hint of skinhead mentality-pontificate about their music being "the most powerful form of political influence." On one level, the guys are unintentionally funny because they’re so out-there. On another level, they’re scary when a voiceover points out: "These guys vote. Shouldn’t you?"
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More