Mark McKinnon: Just Burn That Money
on Saturday, December 12, 2015Mark McKinnon, former adviser to President George W. Bush in a politics Money Quote saying presidential campaign ads are not having a significant impact in voter polls and the money spent is almost entirely wasted. Mark McKinnon said:
“There’s just very little return on media dollars anymore in politics because people just don’t believe political advertising. They’re just demanding authenticity and something that they think is real, and they know that advertising is not real. So those are – you might as well just burn that money. It’d be a better investment” — Mark McKinnon
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In this quote, Mark McKinnon is suggesting that political advertising is no longer an effective use of campaign funds because people are skeptical of such ads and see through their messaging. He argues that voters now demand authenticity and transparency from politicians, and they recognize that paid political ads are inherently inauthentic and crafted to manipulate rather than inform.
As such, McKinnon believes money spent on political advertising yields very little return and would be better off not spent at all. His view is that campaigns should focus less on advertising and more on promoting their candidates and messages in genuine, credible ways that don’t involve paid media if they want to appeal to and influence today’s voters.