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No one knows which ads work

No one knows which ads work

Even losing candidates win, how to measure identity, what voters want in a president, Taylor Swift conspiracy theory registers in polling

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Patrick Ruffini
Feb 16, 2024
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The Intersection
The Intersection
No one knows which ads work
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No. 303 | February 16, 2024

🔬 Academia

Jessica Piper: Nobody knows which political ads work and why (Politico)

“Some political ads work a lot better than others. But nobody really knows what will reliably make an ad click with voters.

That’s one of the major findings of a new study from researchers who analyzed data from Swayable, a platform used by Democrats to test the effectiveness of different messages and advertisements.

The study analyzed more than 600 ads produced by more than 50 campaigns and outside groups across the 2018 and 2020 cycles. Some ads are definitely more effective at influencing vote choice than others, the researchers found, but what voters respond to year-over-year is far less clear.”

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