Contrasts in Presidential Campaign Commericals of 1996

This article examines television advertising used during the 1996 presidential campaign. Based on interviews with the advertising creators and coordinators and on repeated viewings by the author and his students, it describes, analyzes, and evaluates the ads. The study reveals that Clinton, using primarily comparative advertising, had a seamless advertising campaign that linked his primary, postprimary/preconvention, and general election ads. His $20 million in additional spending, largely from party sources, gave him an insurmountable and unmatched advantage over Dole. In contrast, the Dole campaign relying on biographical and negative ads changed ad creators during the campaign, resulting in a confused advertising strategy. Perot, excluded from the debates and accepting limited federal funds, was forced to have fewer, more expensive, less watched infomercials and less expensive 15-second ads.