Traditional Campaigning Methods

Question 1

Canvassing

Answer 1

Party Members and volunteers have door to door conversations with people to persuade them to vote for their party.
Effective - uncommitted voters can be persuaded to vote, it allows voters to maximise votes from people who are unable to vote eg giving elderly a lift to the polling station.
Example - Labour managed to win in Ilford North in the 2015 election overturning a conservative majority.
Ineffective - large numbers of volunteers needed and is time consuming.

Question 2

Political Party Broadcasts (PPB)

Answer 2

PPBs are adverts that allow parties to put their views across or criticise other parties.
Effective - reach a large audience as most people get political info from tv. Allows parties to publicise their message without journalists altering it.
Example - conservative 2015 PPB focused on economy and opportunities for individuals.
Ineffective - People can change channel. Ipsos-Mori survey found that 74% of those polled would rather pay bills than watch PPBs, however, from the same survey less than 20% thought PPBs should be scrapped.

Question 3

Posters

Answer 3

Effective - big impact and grab attention.
Example - positive poster, Conservative 2017 election ‘strong and stable’. Traditionally posters are negative 1997 Tony Blair with devil eyes to portray him as the socialist devil.
Ineffective - Can be misinterpreted by the public. Social media allows people to alter posters which can be a help or hindrance.