Political Ads Found To Suppress Effectiveness of Brand Advertising

The political season has always posed problems for brand advertisers trying to fulfill media plans, given the diminished supply of inventory. Now, new research suggests that political ads — even those with positive messages — not only hog avails, but also deplete the effectiveness of adjacent brand ads and potentially tarnish brand image. The research is from J. Walter Thompson and Forethought, which found that brand advertising is perceived as 32% less relevant, 29% less entertaining and 27% less appealing when it follows a political ad. According to the research, the impact goes beyond just how consumers perceive a brand’s commercial. It negatively impacts the perception of the brand and product overall:
Brand reputation takes a 34% hit
Perception of product value declines by 32%
Product quality perception drops by 24%

“This research brings to light a couple of very interesting and surprising truths,” said Mark Truss, JWT’s global director of brand Intelligence. “Even political advertising with positive messages generates negative emotions in consumers. And the negative priming effect holds true even for very product-specific attributes, such as taste.”