How to use attack ads

Attack ads

Prepared by J. Scott Armstrong (details on him at jscottarmstrong.com). Please inform Scott about errors and also make suggestions (armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu) Scott has taken these slides from adprin.com, a site that he founded. That site contains interactive versions of these slides, along with linked references, videos, and webcasts, all in PPT and PPTX format that you can download.

Adapted from AdPrin.com 2

How to use attack ads During the 2004 campaign for the U.S. presidency,

the Guardian newspaper in England portrayed George W. Bush as a semiliterate ape and tried to persuade voters in Ohio to vote for Kerry.

• Was that an effective strategy? • If not, what would you recommend? When you finish, go to the next slide.

No. Attack ads should employ objective information, not emotion. (Principle 6.9.2)

Adapted from AdPrin.com

Based on this exercise, write a small application step for yourself, and set a deadline, preferably within one week. If you are working with someone else, share your application plan and the results of your application.

For example, evaluate your attack ads of competitors and make sure they are based on evidence, not emotion. This is especially relevant for political ads.