• The issue-based appeal: The candidates present their stand on the issues, and outline what policies they would make if elected. Governor Whitman made an issues-based appeal in her 1997 ad "You've sent me a message".
  
• Appeals based on the past: The candidates focus on their past achievements, taking credit for past successes, or placing blame on opposing candidates for past failures. For an example of an appeal based on the past, see Governor Whitman's ad from the 1997 governor's race in New Jersey, "Check the Record".
  
• Appeals based on personality: The candidates emphasize the personal qualities that make them suited for leadership. For a good example of a political ad that focuses on personal qualities rather than issues, see Governor Whitman's 1997 ad called "Cool Mom".
  
• The emotional appeal: These melodramatic appeals tug at the emotions by featuring widely-held values and powerful political symbols. See how candidates Jim McGreevey and Christie Whitman appear in front of the stars and stripes in their TV spots.

Although the issue-based appeal is thought to be the most helpful for potential voters, it is actually not that widely used. Richard Joslyn, a social scientist, did a survey of 156 political ads, and found that the breakdown of appeals was as follows:

• Half of the ads focused on the candidate's personal qualities.
  
• A third of the ads made a vague or symbolic appeal concerning a policy issue.
  
• Only a fifth of the ads had specific information about the candidate's stand on an issue.

Some appeals made by candidates in political ads are more helpful and informative than others. For some reason, appeals based on personal image are more prevalent than appeals based on issues. For more information on the balance between image and issues in campaigns ads, see the Image versus issues page.

Project
Try to keep track of the kinds of appeals made by mayoral candidates in their political advertising. Do they expect people to vote for them because of how they plan to run the city? Or perhaps they want people to vote for them based on their track record, or because of their leadership qualities. Some ads may have a combination of the different appeals. Can you identify any images or words in the ads that are designed to tug at the emotions, and make people feel good about the candidate?

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