How To Make a Political Attack Ad

  • April 16, 2009
  • 1,633 Views
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When it comes to campaign ads, bad is good.

You Will Need

  • Rumors and innuendo
  • A catch-phrase
  • Something taken out of context
  • A fresh scandal involving your opponent
How To Make a Political Attack Ad: Scare people

Step 1: Scare people

Create doomsday scenarios. Make the young think nuclear holocaust is imminent; remind the middle-aged that Social Security is going bankrupt; tell old folks they’re going to have to start choosing between dinner and their meds. Your candidate, of course, is the only one who can turn things around.

How To Make a Political Attack Ad: Pounce

Step 2: Pounce

Go over your opponent’s voting record and speeches to see what you can take out of context—and pounce when he stumbles.

How To Make a Political Attack Ad: Imply something sinister

Step 3: Imply something sinister

Imply something sinister about your opponent, like his secret motive for running for office is to promote polygamy or establish the Taliban in the U.S.

Be suitably vague in your implications—so they can’t be easily disproved.

How To Make a Political Attack Ad: Find a catchphrase

Step 4: Find a catchphrase

Find a negative catchphrase that you can apply to your opponent — like “Slick Willie” — then beat it like a dead horse.

How To Make a Political Attack Ad: Dig up dirt

Step 5: Dig up dirt

Dig up dirt. Don’t kid yourself—despite what voters say about wanting a “clean campaign,” they eat up scandal, especially if it’s salacious.

Make sure the dirt is fresh. Research shows people love a new scandal, but get annoyed with ads that repeat old, well-known infractions.

How To Make a Political Attack Ad: Stay negative

Step 6: Stay negative

Above all, stay negative. Research shows that negative attacks on one’s political opponents are far more effective than self-promotion.

President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 “daisy commercial” – in which a 6-year-old girl is shown picking daisies just before a nuclear bomb explodes – was called “the dirtiest ad ever done.”

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Comments (5)

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It is funny!

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love this.

over 3 years ago by Doheny

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it is interesting

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