What is the effect of political ads, particularly negative ones?

[Angrboda]

I can't reasonably see that negative political ads are responsible for changing a significant number of minds. It would seem to me that the primary purpose of political ads is to stoke the fire of those who have already made up their mind, and is simply a tool to increase partisan voter turnout. Am I wrong in thinking this?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The party faithful are not the targets of attack ads, it's the undecided, the fence-sitters, that the party wants to impress. Hate for someone is more remembered than love. So don't bother loving your own candidate, just try to make them think that the other candidate sold "white" babies to Jews for human sacrifices every year just before Christmas.

[CapnAwesome]

I can't reasonably see that negative political ads are responsible for changing a significant number of minds. It would seem to me that the primary purpose of political ads is to stoke the fire of those who have already made up their mind, and is simply a tool to increase partisan voter turnout. Am I wrong in thinking this?

So I looked up a study about it:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20...124913.htm

The study authors found that negative advertising is powerful in terms of influencing preferences and voter turnout, but not across the board. When the ads are from the candidates or campaigns themselves, the negative advertising was found to be more effective. When the negative advertising was from Political Action Committees (PACs), it was not as effective.

[Minimalist]

I don't get advertising in the first place.  Some fucking actor says "this is a great car" and I'm supposed to run out and buy it?  Political ads are even worse.  I can't even stand democratic ads anymore.  I'll be voting for Kristen Sinema to take the place of that useless dick Flake.  Not because she is any great progressive but because unlike her opponent she has not had her lips surgically attached to the WLB's ass. 

During the day when the news stations I am watching go to a commercial break I hit the mute button.  Sometimes I don't remember to un-mute for an hour or so.  I'm old enough to remember that when cable first came out it did not have ads.  Those were the good old days.

[The Grand Nudger]

That's streaming, now.

[Minimalist]

We are now investigating cutting the cord.

[brewer]

My take is that the negative ad's against people attack the voters ability to trust the individual. And also instill fear.

[The Grand Nudger]

We're seeing an amusing negative campaign up here in KY right now.  About how Amy Mcgrath wants to abolish ICE and hates border security.  It's amusing..because she's tried the whole democrat dive to the nonexistent middle thing.  She openly and vocally supports ICE, and strong borders, lol.

How else are they supposed to paint a fucking fighter pilot as a weaksauce unpatriotic lesbocrat, though?

[Jackalope]

I'm beholden to neither party, and I generally vote for who best represents my views on positions and policy.

However, the more negative ads a candidate runs, the less likely I am to vote for them, particularly in the primaries. In general elections, it has less of an impact, because I'm unlikely to find much in common with the GOP these days. Not that I have any great love for the Democratic party.

[Brian37]

I don't get advertising in the first place.  Some fucking actor says "this is a great car" and I'm supposed to run out and buy it?  Political ads are even worse.  I can't even stand democratic ads anymore.  I'll be voting for Kristen Sinema to take the place of that useless dick Flake.  Not because she is any great progressive but because unlike her opponent she has not had her lips surgically attached to the WLB's ass. 

During the day when the news stations I am watching go to a commercial break I hit the mute button.  Sometimes I don't remember to un-mute for an hour or so.  I'm old enough to remember that when cable first came out it did not have ads.  Those were the good old days.

I used to scoff at Dawkin's meme theory. But really all he is did was make a fancy way of saying "marketing works". Now it does not always work, but if it never worked, humans wouldn't flock to those things.

And marketing isn't just about every day goods, political parties and religions sell to the buyers because those things sell too.

It does in a very real physical sense take communication to end up in your eyes and your ears and ultimately your brain.

I do think the massive amount of "reality" tv and WWE Jerry Springer crap does appeal to people because those oversimplifications give the viewer quick satisfaction. But religion does too. It sells a utopia and gives the buyer of it a sense of security and morality and sense of being right.

It doesn't work on everyone all the time otherwise we'd all buy the same products and buy the same politics and religions.

Marketing can work to bring in new followers, but if you are always used to something and you see something else in that case one is less likely to switch. 

I can tell you that when I was a kid, I did buy the marketing of religion. I did buy the marketing of cigarettes and beer. It was only when I got older that it had less of an effect on me. I broke the marketing of religion obviously. I still smoke, but I do stick to the same brand and the marketing of other brands don't work on me. I also pretty much stick to the same beer.

Marketing does work, even attack adds, otherwise the people who make them wouldn't use them.