One type of advertising that I've never been a big fan of is negative or attack advertising - in which a company tries to promote itself or its product(s) by directly attacking its competitor(s). An example of this type of advertising can be seen in the current-day Apple ads, which feature two men - each representing a Mac or PC computer - in which Apple tries to make PCs seem nerdy and not as good as Macintosh computers. Other traditional examples of attack advertising can be seen in many Pepsi vs Coke and McDonald's vs Burger King ads.While some such ads are funny or amusing, I largely dislike this type of advertising and generally consider it to be the lowest (and most desperate) form of promotion. A company should concentrate on its own strengths and positively promote its products instead of trying to tear down its competitors.
I remember a specific example of negative promotion when I was visiting colleges during high school. Granted, I had always been biased about where I wanted to go to college - my dad went to Notre Dame, and my mom went to Saint Mary's (which is across the street from ND) and I had grown up singing the Notre Dame Victory
March, watching Irish football and wearing ND sweatshirts. However, I still had a fairly open mind when visiting potential schools. Since I grew up outside of Boston, it seemed to make sense to visit Boston College. On the campus tour, I remember the guide talking more about how certain things BC had were "better than Notre Dame" than he did about why BC was a good place to be. This, to me, epitomizes what I disliked (and continue to dislike) about that school - they're too concerned with comparing themselves to ND and beating them out that they fail to create any greatness of their own. A negative focus is never a good thing, and I believe it resonates negatively with potential consumers, students, etc.In today's presidential campaign, I've seen and heard a good number of attack ads from both candidates. Instead of focusing on their own strengths, what policies they support, and how they plan to run the country, they attack their opponent. In the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain, I couldn't stand
listening to them interrupt one another, tear each other down and abandon civility and common courtesy in an effort to appear "strong" and "win" the debate. Honestly, I liked both candidates less after watching this debate. I found last night's vice presidential debate much more enjoyable to watch, easier to follow and less stressful. While the candidates disagreed on many issues and voiced their opinions, they seemed to have a greater degree of respect for each other and for the debate itself.I believe that in all types of marketing, it's important to focus on what a company or organization has to offer and how its products or services can improve people's lives. A company can only accomplish so much by dragging down its competitors, and it might even alienate potential consumers by its negative advertising. The best bet is to stay positive. After all, isn't there enough negativity in the world today?
