Negative ads are here to stay

Column originally published Oct. 11, 2006

It’s election season again, which always guarantees two things:

1. Negative campaign ads; and

2. People complaining about negative campaign ads.

Keep in mind that, in all but rare instances, negative ads are only perceived as negative by the people they aim to make look bad. For the people who produce them, they are vitally important steps toward winning an election.

While I may have gotten a D in college logic (whether or not I deserved said D is fully debatable), it’s easy to connect the dots on this one. Why do people produce negative campaign ads? Because they work.

In fact, this line of reasoning can be used for just about any long-running advertising ploy. If you see something over and over, and it frustrates you to no end — to the point where you want to cancel your newspaper subscription, turn off your radio or throw a hammer at your television — get used to that frustration because that ad isn’t going anywhere.

Continue reading "Negative ads are here to stay."