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GLASTONBURY, CT (WFSB) — The primaries narrowed down the field in the race for governor, but it doesn’t mean the political ads will stop.
In fact, experts are predicting we’ll see another bitter campaign.
One of the most prominent ad agencies in our state weighed in on what we can expect in the coming months before the election.
Just a day after the primary election, we’re already seeing both Ned Lamont and Bob Stefanowski call each other out on social media.
Those attacks will be on your screens and in your face until November, but do they have an effect with voters?
In the primary season, we were bombarded with political ads.
So, was it a coincidence that the two top spenders came out on top?
“Probably not a coincidence,” said Steve Wolfberg.
Wolfberg, Principal Chief Creative at Cronin Advertising, says television ads are powerful especially with name recognition.
That was key for the winning candidates who were considered political novices.
“Politicians are like brands, they have to communicate who you are, what you stand for and what differentiates you,” said Wolfberg.
Since the general election features two candidates who never held a high office, Wolfberg says the upcoming ads will tell a different story.
“They can’t get on each other for their records, like people in government, so what’s the message going to be,” Wolfberg said.
The formulas are still being crafted, but you can be certain negativity will be included.
In the primary, Stefanowski ran several calling out specific opponents and Wolfberg says attack ads are inevitable.
“Clearly, they work. There are studies that show that negative messages stick with you longer than positive ones do,” Wolfberg said.
But when is enough, enough?
If you remember four years ago, the war between Tom Foley and Dannel Malloy was relentless and really negative, which lead to voter fatigue.
“Normally, I’d switch the channel,” said Joe Dinatale of Glastonbury.
A lot of political action committee or PAC money was injected into that race and Wolfberg envisions a repeat.
“PACs are kind of where you get a little down and dirty. I wouldn’t be surprised, it’s an important state and money will come in because there’s a lot at stake,” said Wolfberg.
Voters say willingly or not, they’ll watch the ads, but be sure to follow up with some research.
“You have to be educated enough to get beyond that say what do they really stand for, what’s their track record,” said Dinatale.
Wolfberg went on to say that since both are somewhat fresh to politics, they have a clean slate and can use it to talk about the issues.
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