I Hate Election Years and Political Advertising
I hate election years, and the political advertising that accompanies election years, for several reasons.
1. Because they legally have to pay “rate card” for all of their advertising, it raises the price for the rest of us that advertise year-round and have negotiated discounted rates. Even worse, our commercials get bumped for higher-paying ads.
2. Because I’m sick of hearing everyone bash each other. My opinion is that if you don’t have enough good things to say about your own campaign or yourself then you probably shouldn’t be running.
3. Because all of the energy and dollars that are being put into the campaign could be used for something so much better. What if someone used their hundreds of millions of dollars to put toward education or some other kind of basic human need?
I challenge someone to do something different (isn’t that what true marketing and standing out is all about?).
- Vow to not say anything bad about your opponent. Be confident enough in yourself and what you stand for that you don’t have to bring someone else down to win.
- Use your campaign dollars in the most productive way. Do something for the people that will persuade them to cast their votes for you. Use your campaign dollars to improve the communities you wish to serve.
These two things alone would create more buzz than the current mode of operation. And would certainly garner more respect.
Just my two cents.
I agree with you 100%. I was a tad sickened by the campaign money being spent in 2008 while we were in a recession. As a result of that money we didn’t learn anything about the candidates, and if anything we were more confused and polarized when it was time to vote.
I couldn’t agree more. It seems like the political advertising season starts about 20 minutes after the election. And you’re right, they aren’t saying anything productive, just simply bad-mouthing the opponent. To think about the good that could be done if some of that campaign money was allocated to the many deserving not-for-profit and social service agencies in our communities. Any candidate brave enough (and smart enough) to do something different would definitely be a candidate worth voting for. Excellent post.
Thanks for the comments Abbie. The sad part about it is that I think all of their bickering back and forth just turns people off from voting! The opposite of what it should be doing!
Drew, My frustration exactly. Shouldn’t the advertising be about what that candidate stands for instead of what the other candidate has done wrong in their life?