The Magic of Political Ads: What went wrong with Prospero Pichay
TV campaign ads did wonders to Mar Roxas when he ran as senator in the 2004 elections but the magic did not cast its spell to 2007 senatoriable Prospero Pichay who spent more than 100 million pesos in tv ads alone but failed to be included in the Magic 12.
What went wrong with Prospero Pichay? Here are some guesses:
- The trapo look. Filipinos have generally associated the term trapo to older politicians which explains why younger politicians (regardless how trapo they are), are not often described as trapo. Pichay is not as old as Joker but his age, and his bulging stomach made him look trapo in his television ads.
- The excessive expenses. One of the things that might have been learned by voters is to avoid politicians who spend too much. There is now a notion that these big spenders will “earn back” what they have invested if elected in public office.
- The ads. Many jokes have stemmed from Pichay’s ads. (A lot of comments related to Pichay’s ads can even be read in this site) . These comments and jokes made Pichay look funny and which may have affected his performance in the election.
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