Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBenoit is a communication scholar of the highest order, a researcher who reveals the importance of studying message. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements is exhaustive in its analysis of a wide range of spots created for candidates varying in level of government, stage of campaign, and nation. There are few works that parallel Benoit’s effort in producing a generalizable set of findings that reflect genuine insights, and it is sure to have a sustained impact on the field. -- Lance Holbert, University of South Carolina
Benoit's insights and new perspectives on how political advertising impacts voters is a must read for scholars and professionals in political communication. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements provides the crucial next step in understanding the dynamics at work in campaigns micro targeted to specific publics. -- Gregory Payne, Emerson College
Table of ContentsPreface Part I: Preliminaries 1. Introduction: Political Television Spots 2. Method: The Functional Approach to Political Advertising Part II: Presidential Campaigns 3. In the Beginning: 1952, 1956; The Democrats Ascend: 1960, 1964 4. Nixon’s Return: 1968, 1972; After Watergate: 1976, 1980 5. Republicans in Control: 1984, 1988; The End of the Millennium: 1992, 1996 6. George W. Bush in the Oval Office: 2000, 2004; Barack Obama, African American President, 2008, 2012 7. Primary Campaigns: Who Shall Lead Us? 8. Third-Party Candidate Political TV Spots: Another Choice Part III: Other Campaigns 9. Other Theories: Issue Ownership and Functional Federalism in Political TV Spots 10. Non-Presidential and Non-U.S. TV Spots Part IV: Comparisons 11. Trends and Contrasts of Political Television Spots 12. Development of American Political Television Spots 13. Conclusions and Implications Appendix. Functional Theory Codebook References
