Negative Impact

There were a number of recent media surveys released this week that reveal 2 very important statistics

1. 20% more money has been spent at this point in the political races nationwide than was spent at this point in the 2006 mid-term elections (and that's in a significantly worse economy to boot)

2. 80% of all political advertising on the air right now is NEGATIVE.

This means that more people are hearing more negative messaging about politicians than ever before.

Also interesting to this dynamic is the fact that much of the negative campaigning energy across the nation is unifying into only two consistent messages:

1. Democrats are out of touch with the American people - just look at the socialist agenda the Obama/Pelosi reign has brought.

2. Republicans are too radical and/or extreme in their views to appropriately represent the American people - just look at these Tea Party radicals.

If you take the branding view that I do -- that all of these political ads actually work together as a single campaign about the products "politicians" and "government" --- then 80% of all advertised messages about these products are saying that "candidates" are not normal people, cannot make decisions for normal people and are, in general, not fit to lead.

Again, if we look at all of this advertising as a single campaign operating at a multi-local level throughout the country, and we look at the amount of money being spent to execute this campaign, then it is hard not to be impressed (and perhaps startled) at the reach and frequency this campaign is garnering.

The ramifications of this thought should not be underestimated.

We all know that advertising works. This is why big companies advertise a lot -- delivering the same message over and over to through mass media in order to create "top of mind" thinking in all those who see the ads repeatedly.

We know from research that this type of consistent and persistent messaging is effective in shaping people's attitudes about specific products. Even if a person does not believe the message the first time they hear it, ongoing repetition of the same message through a variety of channels eventually shifts that opinion.

Americans are being bombarded with the message that there is nobody fit to represent them in government of any level.

They are being told this at a frequency rate that is difficult to ignore and impossible to calculate.

There are many people who might already be saying that this message is "100% true."

But I say that the more people begin to truly believe that there is nobody fit to lead, the closer our form of Democracy is to collapse.

Don't underestimate the power of branding.