Seeing Spots: A Functional Analysis of Presidential Television Advertisements, 1952-1996 (Praeger Series in Political Communication)

251 Pages·1999·1.56 MB·English

by  William L. Benoit

Seeing Spots
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Seeing Spots
A Functional Analysis
of Presidential Television
Advertisements, 1952–1996
William L. Benoit
Praeger Series in Political Communication
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Benoit,WilliamL.
Seeingspots:afunctionalanalysisofpresidentialtelevision
advertisements,1952–1996/WilliamL.Benoit.
p. cm.—(Praegerseriesinpoliticalcommunication,ISSN
1062–5623)
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN0–275–96645–3(alk.paper)
1.Presidents—UnitedStates—Election. 2.Advertising,
Political—UnitedStates. 3.Televisioninpolitics—UnitedStates.
I.Title. II.Series.
JK524.B46 1999
324.7'3'097309045—dc21 98–56624
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:1)1999byWilliamL.Benoit
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:98–56624
ISBN:0–275–96645–3
ISSN:1062–5623
Firstpublishedin1999
PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Series Foreword vii
Robert E. Denton, Jr.
Preface xi
I. Preliminaries 1
1. Introduction: Presidential Television Spots 3
2. The Functional Approach to Political Advertising 15
II. General Campaigns 23
3. In the Beginning: 1952, 1956 25
4. The Democrats Ascend: 1960, 1964 35
5. Nixon’s Return: 1968, 1972 53
6. After Watergate: 1976, 1980 69
7. Republicans in Control: 1984, 1988 85
8. The End of the Millennium: 1992, 1996 103
III. Other Campaigns 123
9. Primary Campaigns: Who Shall Lead Us? 125
10. Third-Party Candidates: Another Choice 147
vi CONTENTS
IV. Comparisons 157
11. Contrasts 159
12. Conclusions 203
Appendix: The Sample 211
References 221
Name Index 231
Subject Index 235
Series Foreword
Those of us from the discipline of communication studies have long be-
lievedthatcommunicationispriortoallotherfieldsofinquiry.Inseveral
otherforumsIhavearguedthattheessenceofpoliticsis‘‘talk’’orhuman
interaction.1 Such interaction may be formal or informal, verbal or non-
verbal, public or private, but it is always persuasive, forcing us con-
sciously or subconsciously to interpret, to evaluate, and to act.
Communication is the vehicle for human action.
Fromthisperspective,itisnotsurprisingthatAristotlerecognizedthe
naturalkinshipofpoliticsandcommunicationinhiswritingsPoliticsand
Rhetoric. In the former, he established that humans are ‘‘political beings
[who]aloneoftheanimals[are]furnishedwiththefacultyoflanguage.’’2
Inthelatter,hebeganhissystematicanalysisofdiscoursebyproclaiming
that ‘‘rhetorical study, in its strict sense, is concerned with the modesof
persuasion.’’3 Thus, it was recognized over twenty-three hundred years
ago that politics and communication go hand in hand because they are
essential parts of human nature.
In1981,DanNimmoandKeithSandersproclaimedthatpoliticalcom-
munication was an emerging field.4 Although its origin, as noted, dates
back centuries, a ‘‘self-consciouslycross-disciplinary’’focusbeganinthe
late 1950s. Thousands of books and articles later, colleges and universi-
ties offer a variety of graduate and undergraduate coursework in the
area in such diverse departments as communication, mass communica-
tion, journalism, political science, and sociology.5 In Nimmo and San-
ders’s early assessment, the ‘‘key areas of inquiry’’ included rhetorical
analysis, propaganda analysis, attitude change studies, voting studies,
government and the news media, functional and systemsanalyses,tech-
viii SERIESFOREWORD
nological changes, media technologies, campaign techniques, and re-
search techniques.6 In a survey of the state of the field in 1983, the same
authors and Lynda Kaid found additional, more specific areas of con-
cernssuchasthepresidency,politicalpolls,publicopinion,debates,and
advertising.7Sincethefirststudy,theyhavealsonotedashiftawayfrom
the rather strict behavioral approach.
Adecadelater,DanNimmoandDavidSwansonarguedthat‘‘political
communication has developed some identity as a more or less distinct
domain of scholarly work.’’8 The scope and concerns of the area have
further expanded to include critical theories and cultural studies. Al-
though there is no precise definition, method, or disciplinary home of
the area of inquiry, its primary domain comprises the role, processes,
and effects of communication within the context of politics broadly de-
fined.
In1985,theeditorsofPoliticalCommunicationYearbook:1984notedthat
‘‘more things are happening in the study, teaching, and practice of po-
litical communication than can be captured within the space limitations
of the relatively few publications available.’’9 In addition, they argued
that the backgrounds of ‘‘those involved in the field [are] so varied and
pluralistinoutlookandapproach,...it[is]amistaketoadhereslavishly
to any set format inshaping thecontent.’’10Morerecently,Swansonand
Nimmohavecalledfor‘‘waysofovercomingtheunhappyconsequences
offragmentationwithinaframeworkthatrespects,encourages,andben-
efits from diverse scholarly commitments, agendas, and approaches.’’11
In agreement with these assessments of the area and with gentle en-
couragement,in1988Praegerestablishedtheseriesentitled‘‘PraegerSe-
riesinPoliticalCommunication.’’Theseriesisopentoallqualitativeand
quantitative methodologies as well as contemporaryandhistoricalstud-
ies. The key to characterizing the studies in the series is the focus on
communication variables or activities within a political context or di-
mension. As of this writing, over 70 volumes have been published and
numerous impressive works are forthcoming. Scholars from the disci-
plines of communication, history, journalism, political science, and so-
ciology have participated in the series.
Iam,withoutshameormodesty,afanoftheseries.Thejoyofserving
as its editor is in participating in the dialogue of the field of political
communication and in reading the contributors’ works. I invite you to
join me.
Robert E. Denton, Jr.
NOTES
1. SeeRobertE.Denton,Jr.,TheSymbolicDimensionsoftheAmericanPresidency
(Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1982); Robert E. Denton, Jr., and Gary
SERIESFOREWORD ix
Woodward,PoliticalCommunicationinAmerica(NewYork:Praeger,1985;2ded.,
1990); Robert E. Denton, Jr., and Dan Hahn, Presidential Communication (New
York:Praeger,1986);andRobertE.Denton,Jr.,ThePrimetimePresidencyofRonald
Reagan (New York: Praeger, 1988).
2. Aristotle, The Politics of Aristotle, trans. Ernest Barker (New York: Oxford
UniversityPress, 1970), p.5.
3. Aristotle,Rhetoric,trans.W.RhysRoberts(NewYork:TheModernLibrary,
1954), p.22.
4. Dan D. Nimmo and Keith R. Sanders, ‘‘Introduction: The Emergence of
Political Communication as a Field,’’ in Handbook of Political Communication, ed.
Dan D. Nimmo andKeith R. Sanders(BeverlyHills,CA:Sage,1981),pp.11–36.
5. Ibid., p.15.
6. Ibid., pp.17–27.
7. KeithSanders,LyndaKaid,andDanNimmo,eds.,PoliticalCommunication
Yearbook:1984 (Carbondale:SouthernIllinoisUniversity,1985), pp.283–308.
8. Dan Nimmo and DavidSwanson,‘‘TheFieldofPoliticalCommunication:
Beyond the Voter Persuasion Paradigm,’’ in New Directions in Political Commu-
nication, ed. David Swanson and Dan Nimmo (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1990),
p.8.
9. Sanders, Kaid, and Nimmo,PoliticalCommunicationYearbook:1984, p.xiv.
10. Ibid.
11. Nimmoand Swanson,‘‘The Field of PoliticalCommunication,’’p.11.