People hate negative advertising. Or, at least, they say they do.  Yet message consultants like me keep producing them for their political clients and at a ratio 4:1 over positive ads. Why? Especially if people say they hate them so much?
To beg the question: Why do you rob a bank? ‘Cause that’s where the money is.  Why do you run negative ads? ‘Cause that’s where the payoff is.

Let me rephrase that.  It’s because they work much, much easier and have more payoff than running a positive ad.  I’ll explain.

Like I talk about in my book, Does This News Make Me Look Fat? (Now on sale), which talks about understanding media and building media literacy skills, positive ads or ads attempting to convince you to adopt specific argument or a policy or a person (like support the clear air bill or elect Candidate John Doe) have a much higher threshold of idea and logic acceptance to clear and be accepted than a negative ad.

In a positive ad, I have to convince you beyond a shadow of a doubt enough to feel my assertion is true and solid enough for you to make a decision-to physically take action. For that, I need facts, previous reputation, credible references, messaging that addresses enough of your concerns, logic etc. to take an action that benefits my client. Depending on the action requested (buying a car, turning over your life savings, going to war) that’s a lot of work (Think about it like putting together a resume to get someone to hire you).

In a negative ad, all I need to do is plant just the littlest doubt or fear you could lose everything you value if you choose my opponent’s argument–or my opponent. My ads take hold by claiming that Candidate John Doe wants to legalize letting pedophiles live next door next to YOUR children. You may not even believe the accusation is true, but what if it is? Can you afford to take the chance?  See? Much lower bar for ad success.

With a negative ad, I’ve poisoned my opponent’s argument with unsubstantiated reasons for concern and doubt (even if I know they aren’t true), so you are afraid or less apt to take it.  Your imagined fear of what could happen brings you to my client’s side much, much easier than running positive ads. And the few positive ads I run for my client are usually to make my client look like the bright light to run towards and away from the fear I instilled in you in the negative ads I just ran about my clients’ opponent.  And that’s why the 4:1 ratio of negative to positive ads.

And that’s why, especially in this political season, media literate and non media literate people can expect to see a lot of them.