On the Air: Advertising in 2004 as a Window on the 2008 Presidential General Election

Abstract

This paper provides a descriptive framework for analyzing television advertising in the 2008 Presidential general election. Using insights gleaned from data on the advertising contest in the 2004 elections from the Wisconsin Advertising Project, this paper shows how important it is for observers of elections to focus on the various sponsors of advertising, the different motives and aims of advertisers, and the variation in tactics used by campaigners. Television advertising remains the dominant means by which campaigns directly communicate with voters, and understanding the technological, regulatory and strategic context in which these ads are aired will allow for a better understanding of their effects.