Month: October 2012

The Latino Vote

by

As we head into elections, we’re sure you’ve seen the intense advertising push by politicians who are desperately trying to gain your vote.

It comes as no surprise that understanding the diversity of specific demographics is important for advertising companies who work with these politicians to reach out to the important voters and influence their vote – one of which is the Latino (or Hispanic) vote.

We wanted to take this opportunity to provide a bit of stats in order for our profession (i.e. you) to better understand the approach and trends that surround us heading into elections.

The Latino Vote is described as the following: “The Latino vote or the Hispanic vote is a catchphrase that in American culture and American politics refers to the voting trends during elections in the United States by eligible voters of Latino or Hispanic background. This phrase is usually mentioned by the media as a way to label voters of this ethnicity, and to opine that this demographic group could potentially tilt the outcome of an election, and how candidates have pandered or not to that specific ethnic group.” -Wikipedia.org

“16 percent of all registered voters in Florida are Hispanic, just 6.79 percent of the total spent on local TV political ads has been on Spanish language media. And the Democrats have a huge edge: $4,260,740, compared to the Republican at  $2,118,750 on the President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House races. Nationally, in 10 large states, spending on Spanish-language ads totals just $16.4 million, or 4.57 percent of the nearly $359 million total spent on local political advertising in these races.” -Orlando Sentinel

As we wind down the final days before elections, take a look around and notice how advertisers and marketers are and are not taking on this challenge of reaching out to this demographic and let us learn from the successes and failures that continue to mold our future. For a trend that is described as “potentially tilting the outcome of the election,” the small percentages of overall advertising against this demo could still mostly be considered as ignored.  Our generation should be learning from this and continuing to demand that our profession better understand this culture and stress why it is so important to reach them.

Let us continue embracing the value in the diversity which makes us all who we are and who we will be.

This is our profession. This is Our Culture.

 

Joel A. Montilla – Ad 2 Orlando, Diversity Chair

2: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2012/10/spending-on-spanish-language-ads-doesnt-track-rise-in-hispanic-registration.html

Tired of Political Ads Yet?

by

Getting tired of seeing political ads on TV? Well, get used to it. The Orlando market was #2 in the nation for total dollars spent on TV political advertising last month. And there’s a lot more to come. I’m sure you’re noticing that most of the ads are negative and some are positive. I bet you’re wondering how these political media gurus come up with the ad content and what other ways they use to get their message out. I sat down with Beth Watson, Account Manager for Ron Sachs Communication to answer some of your questions. Ron Sachs Communications specializes in both political and business advertising in Orlando and Tallahassee

Q: What would you say is the biggest difference in political advertising now compared to what you saw in 2008?
A: I would say this year, in all arenas; the negative campaigning has hit an all time low. And based on comments now appearing in social networks, the public is fed up with it. This is a finely balanced issue that social networking could easily impact in the future. It remains to be seen, however.

Q: What would you say are the biggest pros and cons about negative ads?
A: The biggest pro about negative advertising is that it brings out issues that the public might not have been aware of. Hopefully, the public will look into the issues and do their own research to determine their truths. The cons about negative ads are that it often makes the attacking candidate look petty, mean and too aggressive. It can easily backfire and turn the public against the candidate. And if the negatives are false, they most definitely will.

Q: When does a political ad become “false advertising”? There are obviously standards that advertisers have to follow, does that not apply to political ads when some are blatantly lying?
A: It seems that in political advertising, “all is fair in love and war” and the public takes much of the false statements with a grain of salt. However, if a candidate is lying, and the opponent can prove it, it becomes an ethics and integrity issue that can kill the lying candidate. Lying or false advertising is something that the public will not tolerate, particularly in an election. The public expects and holds their leaders to a high standard.

Q: How are campaigns these days incorporating social media?
A: The current campaigns have incorporated the various social media to highlight their messages, their visits to communities, to spread the messages of their stances, and to get past media, which traditionally, didn’t cover everything a candidate wants to address. It has also proven that they can overcome their opponents’ issues concisely. It does make it a bit harder to criticize an opponent badly because social media can be traced. YouTube played an integral role in the overthrowing of government in Libya and Egypt – a prime example of social media changing the way the world works.

Q: Should candidates be on social networks? If so, what kind of response strategy is suggested?
A: Why not? Social networks have changed the way we live and communicate. Candidates need to find every avenue to reach out to the public AND to get the youthful voters’ attention. If that is a strategy to reach the younger voters, who traditionally have been apathetic, kudos! Response strategy….take a stance and promote it. I wouldn’t say attacking your opponent’s stance is a good strategy on social networking. But being clear, honest, straight forward and concise — that’s the benefits of social networking and communications.

Joe Culotta, Ad 2 Government Relations Chair