Narratives in televised political ads: Toward alternative discourses and critical voters
Article
Televised political ads are powerful instruments of campaign communication because they are dominant and ubiquitous repositories of narratives by candidates and their strategists. Using Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm and Robert Rowland’s narrative approach, this study looks into the use of narratives in 127 political TV ads in the 2016 and 2019 national elections. The discussion is divided into two major sections. First, the study uncovers dominant, emerging, and missing narratives in the TV ads and reflects on what these narratives reveal about Philippine political culture. Second, through a critique of these existing narratives, this study raises the challenge of reimagining and creating ads that foster critical public discourse. To this end, the paper recommends alternative topics, subjects, and strategies to improve TV ads in the future while recognizing the medium’s constraints such as length and costs.
The Epal Effect: A Theory-Based Assessment of the “Bawal ang Epal Dito” Campaign for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
Article
The “Bawal ang Epal Dito” (BAED) was implemented to protect the government’s 4Ps program from politicking. This communication campaign was assessed in preparation for the 2016 national elections according to the: (a) extent of stakeholders’ awareness, knowledge, and behaviors; (b) channels and messages; (c) efficiency; (d) and participation in its implementation. The following theories were used in the analysis: the Transtheoretical Model, Social Cognitive Theory, Framing Theory, and the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The study shows the varying levels of awareness, knowledge, and behaviors among the campaign’s audiences. Assessing campaign channels revealed the most favorable evaluation, while efficiency and participation fared worst. The use of the word epal in the framing of the campaign’s messages resulted in positive and negative consequences.
