Negative Advertising

Negativity in advertising doesn't work. That's the general view in advertising. At least when it comes to criticising your rivals. I agree this makes you look weak and desperate but are there times when negative advertising can make you look positive?

A great example to start this debate was the elections in America this year. I must confess, I'm no expert on the election and the day-to-day happenings, but the overall feeling I got from the debates I saw was that McCain always pointed out faults with Obama (most of them untrue) and Obama never retaliated. Who came out looking more composed, intelligent and president-like? Obama of course! But he wasn't all about compliments himself.

Check out this ad for McCain's campaign. I believe this was a killer blow to McCain's already faltering attempt at presidency, and do you know why? You guessed it. Negativity.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/advertising/ads/9000027--john-mccain-listen-to-biden

But then we see Obama's counter to McCain's bullshit.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/advertising/ads/9000042--barack-obama-audio-tapes

He's negative towards McCain but it's so cleverly done that he still seems to come off on a positive note. But then, maybe that's because he's exposing a lie.

Customers want success, sunshine and happiness. Ads should point them in the direction of these things – not the opposite. I don't want to know what your competitor can't do for me. I want to know what YOU CAN do for me. Maybe the only time this doesn't happen, and negative methods are used, is when a product can't do anything better or different; when a USP is impossible to find. McCain was just another Bush – Obama was black and ran his campaign on change. Is that why McCain resorted to negativity?