Abstract

The article presents the results of research on more than 400 political commercials and videos produced in Italy between 1983 and 2011. The research - which was conducted largely on materials no longer available and now consultable at the website www.archivispotpolitici.it - started from the hypothesis that commercials and videos have been an important factor in the more general process of transformation and popularization of Italian political communication. The article identifies three phases in the history of Italian political commercials and videos, emphasising the novelty represented by the advent of the Internet. It documents with data and empirical evidence the progressive personalization, the mixing of high and low registers, sensationalization with the introduction of elements from popular culture, and the tendency to adopt styles and genres borrowed from the entertainment industry.