What is Negative Marketing Campaign?

MUDSLINGING, NAME-CALLING, ACCUSATIONS. Sounds like a bad way to run a marketing campaign but all those negative ads may have a more effective result than you think. What many of us call "negative" or "attack" ads are termed "comparative" ads by those in the industry, and the bottom line is that they appear to work. "They are very effective," says Rick Farmer, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, who has studied the impact of comparative ads. Farmer, other researchers and campaign consultants agree that negative ads are more memorable than positive ones. In political campaigns, comparative ads work because "people have a cynical view of politics and tend to believe the negative very quickly," says Farmer. Though many Americans say they don't like negative political ads, research by faculty members at the University of Georgia found that not only are attack ads initially effective, but their impact increases over time, perhaps because they produce an emotional response. And positive ads used to counter them are not as effective because they are ultimately less powerful than the opponent's attack ad.

Why Run a Negative Campaign?

To make a choice customers need to compare and contrast. A glossy, promotional advertisement offers only part of the story, and a negative adverising campaign could bring down a rival in the process.