RE: What is the effect of political ads, particularly negative ones?
September 28, 2018 at 1:33 pm
(September 28, 2018 at 1:01 pm)Minimalist Wrote: 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.
