Credibility of Political Advertisements
Years ago, my undergrad
thesis was all about the credibility of television advertisements (TVCs) of
prominent candidates during the 2010 Philippine national elections.
First, I pointed out the
elements of credibility. Credibility is about the level of trustworthiness a
person, idea, or anything appears to be. When a TVC is considered credible, the
viewing public is more likely to believe in what the TV is trying to
communicate to them.
In my research, there are
two aspects of credibility. The human brain uses these two aspects to evaluate
if a specific part of the subject is credible or not.
1.
Background of the candidate relating to what
he or she is talking about on the TVC- a candidate should only talk about
something he has experienced or affiliated with
2.
Presentation of ideas on the TVC- TVC
producers should use excellent and persuasive visual and audio materials in the
production to successfully groom the video into a real and credible video.
The two aspects could be
deceiving. This part of the study needed a higher intellect to be able to distinguish
the two. The first aspect is all about the public knowledge on the candidate.
The second is about appearing on the TVC to be someone the public does not
know. Thus the first is all about the candidate while the second is about the TVC
production.
Second, I tried to pick the
dominant elements of the TVC. One by one, my respondents evaluated if the specific
elements of a TVC is very credible, moderately credible, somewhat credible, and
not credible.
a.
Candidate’s appearance
and vocal quality as seen on the TVC
b.
Other people’s –
celebrity endorsers, common people- appearance and vocal quality as seen on the
TVC
c.
The places and other
visuals appearing on the TV
d.
The music, voice, and
singer/s if there is any
e.
The slogan and script
used in final copy of the TVC
f.
The color scheme of the
final copy of the TVC
After completing the study,
I realized many things about political advertising in the Philippines.
1.
Filipinos are fond of dramatic elements. Dramatic
presentation of poverty on videos can win the hearts of the voting public.
2.
Filipinos want to be entertained. Thus,
jingles are a hit during elections!
3.
Filipinos do not believe in veterans. They
want new faces. They want fresh air!
4.
Filipinos want to see on TVCs what they are
seeing around.
5.
Appearing as tough or “tigasin” cannot get
the trust of the voting public. Appearing as a father or brother draws more
sympathy from the public.
 of prominent candidates during the 2010...){kind=link}
Political ads don't really move me because they're all the same: Gusto ko may makain kayo! Ang sarap lang sampalin, all trapos and without any credible accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteActually, yun ang pinaka nakakairitang TVC for me sa TVCs ngayon ...yung inulit ulit ang "pagkain" na word...as if naman ..
ReplyDelete