Political Signifiers

Ryans Gun Campaign Michelle Bachmann makes good use of visual as well as some audio signifiers to deliver an effective political message. Here's the ad and then I talk about three different signifiers I found in it!

• The very beginning of the video utilizes a photograph of the American flag waving in the sky. The American flag can signify any number of different things that have anything to with the United States, but in this case the flag is most certainly a signifier for freedom. This ad emphasizes the the importance of our American freedoms and with those freedoms comes our right as American citizens to obtain firearms. What better symbol to use than the American flag?
• The soundtrack in this ad is also a substantial signifier. It is an orchestral piece with an epic and uplifting tune and it signifies righteousness. The candidate, Michelle Bachmann is an advocate for the second amendment and the music helps communicate that the second amendment is indeed the correct idea.
• The image of Michelle Bachmann waving her hand behind a podium is another strong signifier. This signifies the classic idea of the politician. They give speeches, they shake hands, and they kiss babies. Michelle Bachmann is waving behind a podium on a very official looking stage, so she must be a serious presidential candidate.

Political Campaign Advertisement Katie also does a great job of utilizing symbols to create an effective political ad campaign. Watch the ad and then read on to see which signifiers I picked out!

• The first signifier that I picked up on was the accompanying music. The sad or ominous music definitely signified the negative effect of gun violence. The music choice was perfect for the intended mood of the ad and helped squeeze out every bit of emotion that could be associated with the well used jarring imagery.
• The first image used in this ad is one of looking down the barrel of a revolver. This is a strong signifier for danger. You never want a firearm pointed at you and to have a good look down the barrel of one speaks volumes of the inherent dangers associated with them. This is a perfect symbol to advocate gun control.
• There is also a photograph of a mean looking kid pointing a pistol directly at us and by the look on his face, there is some ill-intent. This signifies the inherent dangers of firearms to the youth. This is another jarring image that demonstrates very well more dangers of firearm access.

Cameron Afshar Gun Policy Political Advertisement also uses some strong signifiers to make a case for the second amendment. Check out the video and then the three signifiers I liked!

• This ad also uses the imagery of having a gun pointed at your face, but it makes a much different argument. This is a signifier of danger and rather than make the argument that all firearms are dangerous, this ad makes the point that they are only dangerous when in the wrong hands. If gun control becomes a reality, firearms will only be toted by criminals and the rest of us will be helpless against them.
• The soundtrack in this ad is another well utilized signifier. The ad has an ominous mood about it and the music paired with the imagery can be interpreted to signify helplessness. This ad leans on the perspective that law abiding Americans could be denied the right to own firearms, but criminals will gladly find anything but a legal means to get their hands on them. Thus, us good guys are helpless against the well armed bad guys.
• The end of the ad uses the sound effect of police sirens. This signifies crime. Nine times out of ten, a police siren usually means a police cruiser is headed to the scene of a crime. This ad uses the theme of crime throughout and the police siren sound effect is used quite well to instill a feeling of urgency and a need to protect yourself from the gun toting criminals who would love nothing more than gun control laws. 

Rosser Reeves vs. Song Airlines

Rosser Reeves employed some pretty crafty tactics for the Dwight Eisenhower presidential ad campaign. In these ads, Eisenhower was painted as a strong leader with loads of experience in all the right places. However, he was also your average American, just like you and me with humble roots in Abilene. All these characteristics combined create one patriotic, intelligent, and trustworthy President of the United States. The Rosser Reeves ads definitely trended an ethos delivery method. One ad in particular initially mentions Eisenhower's hometown in the heartland of America and then goes on to list his accomplishments as a General during WWII. Even the silly cartoon with the exceptionally catchy, catchphrase, "I like Ike" built up the character of the presidential contender as all the cartoon people sing his praises. Rosser Reeves created some pretty brilliant ads that really built on the credibility of the former General and the future President.


Artwork Credit: Cliff1066

Song Airlines chose to employ a pathos delivery method for their ad as seen from The Persuaders video in class. This one features a handful of visibly happy people running around in a beautiful meadow. Rather than trying to explicitly show why anyone should choose to fly on Song Airlines, this ad focuses on an emotional appeal that says "See all these happy people? Fly with us... We'll make you happy too!" I get what this ad was trying to do, but I think it was a little too goofy and abstract to be as effective as the advertisers had hoped.


Photo Credit: Bill Abbott / wbaiv

Both ad campaigns were quite different from one another. Song Airlines chose to design a television commercial that leaned on a pathos delivery method, while Rosser Reeves chose to run an ad campaign with an ethos approach. I definitely think for the times, Rosser Reeves created a much more successful ad campaign for President Dwight Eisenhower than Song Airlines' fanciful flop.

Class Discussion on "CRACKED.com"

I thought Cracked.com's article, 5 Bad Ideas for Dealing With Bullies You Learned in Movies was actually pretty entertaining. I don't think the material in this article was really outside of the type of content normally featured on the website. 


Cracked.com is a humor website with blogs and articles that are mostly satirical in nature. This article is really no different than most of the other content on the website because the author is merely pointing out the ironies and inconsistencies in films that depict scenarios of bullying with that of his own life experiences with bullies. I think this was managed just fine and the responsibility of a website editorial team is to write for their audience. This particular website holds an appeal for people who are looking for a chuckle and this article was perfect for just that.