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2012 ElectionsBlogReleasesYear-End Summaries

2012 Election Studies Published

2012 Campaign Advertising Volume Crushed Previous Records; Interest Group and Dark Money Analyses in the Works (MIDDLETOWN, CT) Feb. 14, 2013 – Two comprehensive studies of the campaign ad trends from the 2012 election have been published by the researchers from the Wesleyan Media Project. “Negative, Angry, and Ubiquitous: Political Advertising in 2012” by Erika Franklin Fowler of Wesleyan University and Travis N. Ridout of Washington State University, and “Interest Groups in Electoral Politics: 2012 in Context” by Michael Franz of Bowdoin College, appear in the most recent issue of The Forum, a Journal of Applied Research in Contemporary Politics.…
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February 14, 2013
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Media Focus on Campaign Ad Strategy Amplifies Feeling of Negativity

Positive advertising matters as much if not more than negativity (MIDDLETOWN, CT) Mar 14, 2012 -- In the midst of perhaps the most negative presidential primary race in recent history, a new Wesleyan Media Project affiliated study (click here for an older local copy) published by Political Research Quarterly suggests that the tone of ads on the airwaves is not the only thing contributing to citizen perceptions of negativity. (more…)
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March 14, 2012
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Microtargeting: Not Just for Online Ads

The New York Times featured an article today on the increasing number of campaigns that are tailoring their advertising messages to different demographics over the internet.  This tactic – frequently referred to as microtargeting – is not confined to online placements of campaign ads.  In a newly published study appearing in Political Communication, two Wesleyan Media Project co-directors find evidence that, at least at the presidential level, campaigns are targeting specific audiences through television ads as well. (more…)
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February 21, 2012