Attack Ads

When the Coalition failed to win back the NSW Government after the disaster that was Iemma’s first term, they steadfastly put the blame on the Labor Party’s “attack ads”. It was a convenient way to divert attention away from the Opposition’s shortcomings, and that of Liberal leader Peter Debnam. And while the ALP would still be in office in New South Wales without the ads, it certainly took the sting out of the electorate’s swing.

Television has been involved with the political process for half a century, and attack ads in the United States have been around nearly as long. They are usually nasty, often untrue and tap into the fears of the undecided voters. But forty-five years of attack ads have shown that they work.

Attack ads work best for incumbents, simply because the incumbent is better known than the opposition in most cases. The incumbent will have faced such scrutiny before their election, so the dirty laundry has usually already been washed and hung out to dry. Since the opposition is usually less known, the attack ads directed at them can expose skeletons in closets, reiterate uncertainties and in some cases, mislead the public. The 2004 ‘Swift-Boat Veterans for Truth’ ad campaign did critical damage to presidential candidate John Kerry’s campaign, despite being downright incorrect. The Bush/Cheney team expressed public disapproval at the advertisement, but the ad still stuck in voters’ minds.

Attack ads are not as vicious in Australia, nor as popular, but the L-plate campaign against Mark Latham did the ALP’s campaign considerable damage.

Every attack from the Coalition against Kevin Rudd this year has backfired, but in the desperation of fighting a losing battle, the incumbents will try to tear strips off the ALP as the election looms. It bears less of a chance at backfiring simply because attack ads are never voiced by the candidates. They are voiced by sinister-voiced and faceless baritones and presented in such a way that it seems the Government has nothing to do with it. But the electorate will see through it if the ALP don’t fight fire with fire.

Labor has been running successful advertisements all through the year. When they started back in January it was unusually early, but the opinion polls showed that it really worked. The ads were positive and optimistic about the future. They were also contained, focused on the personality of Rudd and of his fiscal conservatism. It was simply to inform voters that Rudd was a safe and friendly option. The Coalition couldn’t have a go at him for it, also The Chaser managed quite well.



The moment the ALP tries out an attack ad against the Howard Government, it will make the medium open slather. If the ALP tries such an attack it will justify a retaliatory response from the Coalition to the electorate.

In order to maintain their position in the polls during the actual election campaign, the ALP need to counter any of the Coalition’s attack ads with the positive ones they’ve been running this year. It allows them the moral high ground, and makes the Coalition seem desperate, vicious and struggling to maintain a sense of dignity and order.