Media

Question 1

The media has…

Answer 1

A large reach and influence on voters and is used by political parties through the use of spin doctors, party political broadcasts and leaders debates.

Question 2

In this essay the factors compared are…

Answer 2

Spin doctors and canvassing to target floating voters
Party political broadcasts (PPBs) and canvassing to target floating voters
And the resourcefulness and effectiveness of leaders debates and digital media strategy

Question 3

This essay argues…

Answer 3

Whether media strategies are the most effective for political parties during elections

Question 4

Spin doctors explain
Floating voters

Answer 4

The media strategy of Spin Doctors can attract potential floating voters. This is because they are hired by political parties to try and manage their party image and their message in the media

Question 5

Spin doctors example
Attract floating voters

Answer 5

For example in 2010 Andy Coulson, former editor of the Sun was hired by David Cameron as a spin doctor and the Conservatives went on to win the 2010 election

Question 6

Spin doctors analysis
Attracting floating voters

Answer 6

This shows Spin Doctors are an effective strategy because the Sun is a popular newspaper meaning their message can reach a larger audience and sway voters but can be questioned as the conservatives were already winning in 2010.

Question 7

Canvassing explain
Attracting floating voters

Answer 7

However the traditional grassroots strategy of canvassing can also be persuasive to floating voters. This is because parties can get the message across to voters face-to-face, which helps identify undecided voters who can be targeted further.

Question 8

Canvassing example target floating voters

Answer 8

Examples in the 2017 general election labour used canvassing in the Ilford North constituency and managed to overturn a conservative majority

Question 9

Canvassing analysis
Targeting floating voters

Answer 9

Suggest that by giving voters the opportunity to communicate and ask questions directly, it meant that many voters switch to labour which one then the seat

Question 10

Overall: canvassing and spin doctors
Targeting floating voters

Answer 10

Overall, are use of canvassing is the more effective strategy for political parties during elections because it’s more personal and makes people more comfortable and like Spin Doctors is their effectiveness can be questioned in 2010 as conservatives were already winning

Question 11

Party political broadcasts explain
Target specific voters

Answer 11

The media strategy of party political broadcasts may help to target specific voters. This is because political parties put their views across and reach a large target audience of millions however can be useless as people don’t engage

Question 12

Party political broadcasts example
Target specific voters

Answer 12

For example in 2019 the Conservatives love actually PPB was used to get votes by saying they were going to get Brexit done and went on to win 365 seats

Question 13

PPB analysis
Target floating voters

Answer 13

This shows that the Conservatives targeted specific voters to ensure them that they would be the best party to get Brexit dealt with quickly which encouraged voters to vote for them

Question 14

Social media explain
Target specific voters

Answer 14

A new technology strategy that’s affective for political parties and elections is using social media to attract younger voters. This is because due to the rising importance of social media, parties can specifically target voters by using click bait to draw voters in to read more and tend to vote for them

Question 15

Social media example
Target specific voters

Answer 15

For example, Conservative spent £1.2 million on Facebook ads in 2015 then went on to win 331 seats in the general election

Question 16

Social media analysis
Target specific voters

Answer 16

This shows that social media is an effective strategy as conservatives were able to win a majority by specifically targeting voters that see their adverts to sway their vote

Question 17

Overall: social media v PPBs
Target specific voters

Answer 17

Overall, new technology of social media is most effective strategy for political parties during elections as social media is prominent in the modern world and it’s only getting more popular especially with young people whereas PPBs are less effective as people usually don’t enjoy watching them and therefore will turn them off

Question 18

Leaders debates explain
Ineffective use of resources

Answer 18

The media strategy of leaders debates is ineffective as it is easily forgettable. This is because some viewers could forget about the debate by election day and have debate fatigue due to too many debates happening

Question 19

Leaders debates example
Ineffective use of resources

Answer 19

For example, in 2010 Nick Clegg was believed to have won the debates but the Lib Dem’s vote share increased by 1% in 2010

Question 20

Leaders debates analysis
Ineffective use of resources

Answer 20

This suggests debates are ineffective as someone can come across well in debates but that doesn’t always translate to better results for that party which question is whether they are worth it.

Question 21

Digital media strategy explain
Cost effective use of resources

Answer 21

However the new technology strategy of digital media strategy can be a cost-effective way to win votes. This is because party Websites can contain shortened versions of their manifestoes which voters can read easily and freely which can attract thoughts

Question 22

Digital media strategy example
Cost effective use of resources

Answer 22

For example, SNP tracked that they reached tens of thousands of voters on their website about their manifesto pledges for barely £3000 which helped them win the 2011 election

Question 23

Digital media strategy analysis
Cost effective use of resources

Answer 23

This suggests that voters were more encouraged to reach shortened versions of their manifestoes as it requires less effort than reading the entire manifesto

Question 24

Overall: digital media strategy v leaders debates
Effectiveness and resourcefulness

Answer 24

Overall, did you tell media strategy is the most effective and resourceful strategy as they make reading party information less time-consuming which means voters are more likely to read on whereas leaders debates are less effective as there is no guarantee voters will remember debates and vote accordingly

Question 25

Media essay: strategies that win are

Answer 25

Canvassing for floating voters
Social media for targeting specific voters
Digital media strategy for cost effectiveness and resourcefulness.

Question 26

Overall conclusion of media essay is…

Answer 26

Overall, the suggestion that media strategies are the most effective strategy for political parties during election campaigns is inaccurate