Last night, I watched TV and every time my program went to commercial, the screen was inundated with a plethora of political ads. As Election Day is drawing nearer, I have begun think about which candidates I would like to vote for. I tried to think back to the ads and what I learned from them. Mostly, what I remember is that most of the ads were negative, saying all the things that politicians did wrong and not to vote for them.

Over $17 million has been spent to create political ads in Ohio (Ohio.com), just for this election! This leads me to ask, was this money wisely spent? Who pays for these ads? What kind of ads did this money produce? Will these ads even persuade Ohio citizens to go out and vote?

It is not just politicians who pay for their own ads. Political commercials are also funded by private organizations and labor unions. The ads are custom made to reflect the beliefs and interests of these parties. They can either endorse a candidate/issue or give reasons to vote it down. Most of the Ohio ads focus on the gubernatorial. The ads of the primary candidates Strickland and Kasich, are both predominantly negative. They talk about who is outsourcing of jobs, who is taxing more and who voted with Obama or Clinton.

Will these ads even make a difference? Is anyone listening? There was so much information packed into each commercial, that it left my head spinning. Instead of trying to compute this complex information, I just brushed it off as being irrelevant. I, myself, had to do my own research in order to know the candidates and issues. Yet I really don’t believe that most Ohioans or even Ohio voters will do this. The media and more importantly television remains the best way to reach citizens.

So, how can ads be more productive? I would say, keep the message simple and repeat it at least 3 times. In this atmosphere, where most of the ads are telling people not to vote for something, I would run a more positive, assertive ad. I would focus on how the candidate could improve their lives and better their situation. I want to hear about what they can do for me, not how they have wronged me in the past. In my opinion, the money spent on the 2010 gubernatorial race was not well spent. It was too many facts, too much negative talk and no clear message.