The marketing blitz about the Affordable Care Act is in heavy rotation ahead of tomorrow's launch of the health exchanges. State-run exchanges in California, Minnesota and Washington, to name a few, have tried ads that are upbeat, folksy, and funny to win insurance shoppers. And in a fight that isn't exactly Pepsi vs. Coke, there are negative ads slamming Obamacare in hopes young Americans won't sign up and choose to live with fines instead.
The now-viral ads by a group called Generation Forward feature a self-described creepy Uncle Sam as gynecologist and proctologist creeping toward a millenial in medical gown. Media outlet Buzzfeed called it "one of the creepiest ads of all time."
How effective are these campaigns?
Guest:
Tom Hollihan, Professor of Communications; USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism