Attack ads: Do they work? More popping up ahead of civic elections

Have you noticed more attack ads popping up? With civic elections across B.C. coming up in October, expect to see more of them.

The latest comes from the Safe Surrey Coalition, which is targeting a city councillor who is eyeing the mayoral seat. In the video posted to social media, the party claims Brenda Locke “will say anything and everything to get your vote.”

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart is also being targeted by similar vitriol, in some ads put out by the ABC party.

But do such tactics work? Political scientist Hamish Telford at the University of the Fraser Valley says while most people find these kind of attack ads distasteful, there’s a reason they’re still used.

“Political strategists and communications people always tell us that attack ads work. I think the public tends to be turned off by them but very often when people go to vote, they don’t necessarily know a lot about the people on the ballot and they do remember the negative things that they have heard. Those ads do, if they’ve seen them, stick in the mind and perhaps influence voting,” he explained.

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Telford notes there seems to have been a shift in attack ads of late, as we move into “a more polarized political environment.”

“It’s always difficult to make a judgement about how things are now compared to the past. We tend to think that maybe things are worse today than they used to be. Politics, particularly local politics, has always been quite combative, quite personal, but I think there is a new tone,” he told CityNews.

“Some of these ads are pretty bald faced, calling the opposition candidate a liar — that’s sort of what we consider to be unparliamentary language, you don’t use that kind of language in a city council or parliamentary setting. So I think the tone perhaps is worse than it has been in past years.”

Civic elections in B.C. are set for Oct. 15. The start of the nomination period is Aug. 30.

Attack ads have been a popular tactic for decades. With the rise of social media, there is now more of a platform for parties to share such ads on.

“In the one case of the attacks on Kennedy Stewart, I think that it could be problematic in terms of limiting the options of a future mayor and council, so they do have to be careful with the attack ads. I imagine we’ll see more of these — the question is whether voters will see them. How many voters will be turning into these social media sites? How widely will they be circulated? Will any of these go viral and make a difference in the end?” Telford said.

Attack ads have already begun popping up ahead of the B.C. civic election set for October 2022. (Courtesy Twitter/ABC Vancouver)

When it comes to the ad targeting Locke, Telford wonders if the move represents “a sign of concern or desperation on the part of that political camp,” adding it may suggest the party perceives her to be “a real threat to their campaign and they’re trying to discredit her.”

“There’s other candidates but they’re focusing their attention on her and perhaps that’s a sign that she’s actually a frontrunner,” he added.