Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers in Iowa have taken a turn for the worse recently, but the former House speaker remains on top in one category — campaign ads.
Topsy, a San Francisco-based company that analyzes social media, released a study Thursday on political ads and the online community’s reaction to them.
Gingrich’s “We Deserve Solutions” spot received the most positive response compared with ads put out by Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. Set to images of American flags and technology companies, Gingrich says, in the ad, “I believe bold ideas and new solutions will unleash America’s creative spirit” and cites his 1990s leadership. Topsy’s research discovered that more than 60 percent of the reaction to Gingrich’s ad on social media outlets like Twitter was positive.
Romney’s ad, “Leader,” was viewed positively by roughly 30 percent, with 32 percent of the reaction being negative. In the commercial, Romney touts his track record of leadership and commitment. “I think people understand that I’m a man of steadiness and constancy,” says Romney in the spot. “I don’t think you’re going to find somebody who has more of those attributes than I do.”
Not surprisingly, Rick Perry’s “Strong” received the most negative reaction (in fact, it’s one of the most un-“Liked” videos in YouTube history). The ad came under scrutiny in some corners for Perry’s strong language on homosexuality and religious pluralism.
According to Topsy, it “received a slew of reactions from the public, most of them negative, after airing on YouTube. We measured the reaction and compared it to a few other pointed ads of this month. By far, the Perry ad received the most mentions on Twitter with over 18,000 mentions. Moreover, an overwhelmingly negative response was measured in the sentiment analysis.” It earned a 56 percent negative reaction online, according to Topsy.