29.10.08

Don't Believe Everything You See On T.V.

The paid-advertisement (propaganda) that is currently airing shows how much money can influence an election. Barack Obama has set the new mark for the next Presidential Election Season (starting January 21, 2009) to surpass when it comes to television advertising spending.

If you see it on T.V., then it usually is hyped up more than the actual product can do. Does the McDonald's Big Mac look on T.V. the same way as the actual burger? Does the fabric softener make your towels super fluffy with a terrific odor? Can the pickup truck drive through a massive pendulum and stop before going off the cliff? Isn't the big-budget movie with the most cross-promotions, product ties, and incessant trailers on T.V. ALWAYS end up being the biggest flops in Hollywood?

Television advertising is a big business because it sways the minds of people purchase the product. You may not notice it, but the constant barrage of moving pictures will implant, somewhere in the back of your head, a necessity to have that product.

As years go by, more and more Americans get their entire advertising intake on television. Print ads no longer have the relevance since no one reads anymore. Billboards are going the way of the dodo since most people are too busy texting while driving to see the signs. But when you are worn out from the long work day, weakened by the daily overload, television advertising takes advantage of you.

Believing what tonight's infomercial says as the complete truth is just as wrong as believing McCain's ads about Obama not having enough experience as the truth. Advertisements are made to sway the public, not to inform. I am not about to go through all the misleading statements by the Obama campaign, yet. I am, though, going to show how much Barack Obama spends compared to the major corporation's T.V. budgets in the United States.

Barack Obama has spent $230 million on television advertising. The infomercial tonight cost roughly $1 million per network airing the ad. George Bush's 2004 reelection run's T.V. budget was ONLY $188 million.

How does Obama's spending on T.V. ads compare to the major corporations of America? Well, according to last years numbers, there are only 8 corporations who spent more on T.V. advertising.

Some of the following corporations who did not spend as much as Obama: Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, e.g.), Time Warner Inc, McDonalds, Comcast, Proctor & Gamble, General Mills (Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Cheerios, e.g.), and Walt Disney Co.

Only the "Big 3" U.S. Auto Makers, Toyota, Nissan, AT&T, and Verizon spent more money swaying Americans more.



No comments: