Premium
The Effect of Negative Campaign Advertising on Vote Choice: The Mediating Influence of Gender *
Author(s) -
King James D.,
McConnell Jason B.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1046/j.0038-4941.2003.08404012.x
Subject(s) - backlash , conceptualization , advertising , psychology , social psychology , order (exchange) , control (management) , economics , business , engineering , computer science , management , finance , artificial intelligence , mechanical engineering
Objective. Some studies of negative campaign advertising's impact argue that a backlash or “boomerang effect” exists. However, the appropriate conceptualization of a boomerang effect might not be an immediate backlash against the sponsor but a delayed response that comes after repeated exposure to negative campaign advertisements. Method. We conducted an experiment using a variation of the pretest‐posttest control group design in which treatment groups were exposed to varying numbers of negative campaign advertisements. Results. There is a parabolic effect of repeated exposure to negative advertisements that is gender specific. Among women, the sponsor initially benefits from an enhanced image but suffers a decline in image when the voters become overexposed to negative advertisements. Conclusion. A reconceptualization of the “boomerang effect” of negative campaign advertising is in order.