Abstract
Politics and the media, as the concepts that direct the lives of the masses, affect the masses consciously or unconsciously, especially in democratic societies. On the other hand, the information communication age and the information society in which we are in, puts individuals in an active and selective position against these concepts. Based on the importance of politics, the media and the target audience, this study aimed to qualitatively examine the emotional and cognitive impact left by the political advertisements on the target audience and analysed the Ak Parti election advertisements published in digital media and broadcasted on television on March 31st, 2019 Local Elections. In this context, the reception analysis which was suggested by Stuart Hall's coding and decoding technique from the tradition of British Cultural Studies was applied. How the target audience perceive the election advertisements which were made to form public opinion were analysed by limiting the sample to selected 10 university students and by using in-depth interviews and structured question forms. The importance of the study is that it revealed how the same election of commercials are read by different viewers. As a result of the study it was seen that the target audience made great deal of dominated reading, and the answers given by the negotiated and opposed readings were at a level which can be considered meaningful. As a result of the study; it was seen that the target audience made a great deal of dominant reading, and that the answers given by the negotiated and opposing readings were at a level that could be considered meaningful. On the other hand, it was concluded that political advertising has a positive or negative effect on political participation and voting behavior of the target group but it is insufficient in directing the target groups.