Ask anyone who has spent some amount of time around a television and they will be able to tell you what the most expensive slot is when it comes to televised advertisements: the Super Bowl.
In recent years it has been argued, but the Super Bowl has longheld the record for the most expensive ads, averaging $2.2 millionfor one 30-second spot in 2003, according to The Wall StreetJournal last January.
If you thought Pepsi was forking out the big dollars, wait untilyou hear about liberal interest groups or the Democratic Party.
With the Republican National Convention now in swing, the abovegroups are spending millions of dollars (although not"coordinated," for legality's sake) on anti-Bush campaignadvertisements in New York and other battleground states, not tomention cable news networks. According to the Associated Press, theDemocratic Party is spending a "small amount" to run four 15-secondads in New York City: $25,000 for 60 seconds total.
The point here is not to compare numbers, but rather to pointout one key component in these two groups of advertisements: theyare meant to sell a product.
Just like any other advertisement on television, radio or (darewe say it) the newspaper, not all of these sales pitches areobjective. In fact, rarely will they be anywhere close. Arguablyso, they are meant to persuade consumers - not to provide impartial"facts."
And therein lies the problem.
In this fast-paced, need-to-know society, consumers tend to takewhatever information they can get and try to use it to theirknowledgeable advantage. Even if someone thinks he/she is notbanking the information, they may very well be... an unfortunatesituation with the amount of political propaganda that circulatesduring an election year such as this.
The key to remember is that all media, especiallyadvertisements, should be consumed with an open mind and a sensefor objectivity. Journalists strive for it every day, butadvertisers do not. Stick to a trusted news source for informationthat can help when deciding who to cast the vote for. A littleresearch never hurt anyone, especially when the country's future isat stake.
Bottom line: don't waste too much time in the mudslinging andpropaganda-filled world of political advertisements. Because toRepublican and Democratic Party officials, when the control of thecountry is on the line, every second counts.
Even if it costs $416.67.
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