Analysis of 2012 Presidential Campaign Adverstising Research Paper

Analysis of 2012 Presidential Campaign Adverstising - Research Paper Example The 2012 political environment was a tense one with Obama and Romney trying to paint the other as the wrong man for the American presidency. While Obama focused on his track record which was pretty impressive to show the American voter that he was the best candidate for the job, he used Romney’s Wall Street record and role in the 2008 world recession to throw mud unto his opponent . His position was a delicate one since, though he had managed to see to the elimination of most of America's problems, he had thrown his country into its greatest debt ever. It was a delicate balancing of power that required him to convince the American voter that even with the huge debt he had created for the country; he needed more money to alleviate most of the population from the problems it faced in its daily roles. His campaign adverts therefore focused on his track record and promise for better days ahead. On the other hand, Mitt Romney had a harder task before him in terms of convincing the American voter that he could not only outdo Obama but he could change the leadership of the country and give the average American a chance to make wealth for themselves. His campaign adverts thus focused on the business part of America and Obama's weaknesses. The adverts by Romney's team thus took every word that Obama uttered and used it against the then incumbent president. The two candidates’ campaign adverts thus had different themes but their central message was the bettering of Americans' life . 3. Obama’s Adverts ‘Always’ The advert by Obama's campaign team dubbed â€Å"Always† has the candidate in question clarifying a statement he had said earlier on that if someone had built a business, it wasn’t from their sole efforts but from the support of other Americans who worked hard to see to their dreams. Romney’s team had interpreted that to mean that every American who owned a business had no right to it. The truth was that Obama’s words meant that the American dream can only be realized by the unity and oneness of purpose that the citizens have always shown. It portrayed him as a candidate whose aim for the American multitude was a hardworking and prosperous nation characterized by hard work and looking out for one another4. ‘Firms’ This is an advert aimed at Romney's record on Wall Street as far as his private equity firm and wealth are concerned. Romney had not revealed his wealth and thus the campaign aimed to p aint him as an enemy of the people who had personal aims as opposed to Obama's open and candid nature. The advert alleged that Romney had hidden wealth in Bermuda, Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. He was also accused of having sent jobs to India when he was a governor for Massachusetts. These ‘hidden’ properties are allegedly meant to reduce the amount of tax the American government gets from them. The voter therefore has the notion that Romney is the enemy and not the friend since while they pay taxes; he hides his treasure in another country and sends jobs overseas while the citizens he