A Functional Analysis of 2016 Direct Mail Advertising in Ohio

Abstract

Few studies examine the content of political direct mail advertising (pamphlets, brochures) despite the fact that this campaign medium remains a popular means of reaching voters. This study reports a functional analysis of 68 direct mail advertisements employed in Ohio in 2016. These messages acclaimed more than they attacked; no defenses occurred in this sample. The topics of the statements in these texts were about evenly split between policy (48%) and character (52%). As predicted, both general goals and ideals were employed more frequently to acclaim than to attack. This study adds to our knowledge of direct mail advertising and nonpresidential ads (only 6% of the brochures in this sample were from the presidential race).