Has Political Marketing Gone Too Far?: The Kavanaugh Case

Lately, it seems as though the Kavanaugh case has been consuming most of my thoughts. For those of you who are not aware, Brett Kavanaugh is a judge who was set to be appointed to supreme court when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school (Dumenco, 2018). The hearings took place on September 27, 2018 (Dumenco, 2018). Watching CNN and Fox News dissect the situation, it was evident that both were unapologetically taking sides as they normally do. As I listened to the swing votes such as Senator Collins and Senator Flake present their decisions (Pramuk, 2018), I couldn’t help but wonder: To what extent did the media coverage affect their decision?

My search revealed that beginning in July, pro-Kavanaugh television advertisements aired over 9,738 times and spending was up to $6.4 million (Dumenco, 2018). In contrast, anti-Kavanaugh television advertisements aired about 8,025 times with $2.9 million in spending (Dumenco, 2018). Although these television advertisements were aired beginning in July, a majority of both anti and pro-Kavanaugh advertisements (17,401 total), were aired prior to September 28^th. In addition, Fox News has several pieces supporting Kavanaugh such as the “I stand with Kavanaugh” article (Bottner, 2018) while CNN included pieces painting Kavanaugh negatively such as “Kavanaugh FBI probe was a cover-up” (Ghitis, 2018).

Dumenco (2018) found that:

“Judicial Crisis Network, America First Policies, and the National Rifle Association are among the pro-Kavanaugh advertisers. Demand Justice Initiative, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and NARAL Pro-Choice America are among the anti-Kavanaugh advertisers.”

This information did not sit well with me. For such an important decision, it seemed as though marketers from these organizations and news outlets were pulling out all the stops to saturate the media with anti or pro-Kavanaugh propaganda. Social media outlets are covered in commentary for both sides as well. Is there any way to know whether these marketing efforts are the reason that the vote went a certain way?

As marketers, is it ethically sound to work with organizations to sway opinions regarding such an imperative decision for the United States of America? The jury during a high-profile case is kept from being exposed to media or outside influence. Why are these methods not being applied to the judiciary committee when deciding on a position as influential as a Supreme Court Judge? With no full understanding of how this advertising affects decision making at this level, I ask again, is it ethically sound to engage in creating these kinds of advertisements? When do we decide that marketing is crossing a line?

References

Bottner, A. G. (2018, September 22). I stand with Kavanaugh. Fox News. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/i-stand-with-brett-kavanaugh

Dumenco, S. (2018, October 4). Pro-Kavanaugh groups have outspent anti-Kavaugh groups 2-to-1 on TV ads. Ad Age. Retrieved from https://adage.com/article/campaign-trail/

Ghitis, F. (2018, October 5). Kavanaugh FBI probe was a cover-up. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/05/opinions/kavanaugh-fbi-probe-cover-up-opinion-ghitis/index.html

Herb, J., Mattingly, P., & Barret, T. (2018, October 6). The different ways four swing senators made their decisions on Brett Kavanaugh. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/06/politics/

Phillips, K., & Rosenberg, E. (2018, October 7) Susan Collins announced support for Kavanaugh – causing site to fund future opponent to crash. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/06/

Pramuk, J. (2018, September 28). Sen. Jeff Flake says he will support Kavanaugh, then calls for cote delay after dramatic twists. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/28/senate-judiciary-committee-votes-on-brett-kavanaugh-nomination.html