Are negative political ads effective? Find out at Center lunch event 1 week after November elections.

Negative political messaging has dominated the television ad space for the past several months, often evoking a visceral response of changing the channel whenever possible.

So, why the pervasiveness of negative political ads? Are they effective in swaying voter preferences?

Researchers have studied message tone as a strategy to boost candidate success and voter turnout for years, and according to “A Border Strategy Analysis of Ad Source and Message Tone in Senatorial Campaigns” recently published in Marketing Science, negative advertising in politics does work—but it is more effective if the ad is sponsored by the candidate versus a political action committee.

There is also the sleeper effect phenomenon to consider with negative political advertising. We are more likely to remember an insult over time because our brain weighs negative information more heavily than positive information.

Minnesota has several competitive races for Congress underway, and there has been no shortage in ads criticizing the opponent versus extolling the candidate.

Will this approach work or boomerang? Get a breakdown of 2018 midterm election results and the role political advertising played from Scott Rasmussen on November 13 at the Center’s next lunch event.

Tickets can be purchased here or by calling 612-584-4557.