An Inoculation Theory Explanation for the Effects of Corporate Issue/Advocacy Advertising Campaigns

Despite the popularity of issue / advocacy advertising campaigns, there has been limited empirical study of their overall impact. This investigation posits that issue / advocacy advertising should be viewed as a vehicle for inoculating against attitude slippage and for enhancing the sponsor's credibility among people who already favor a corporation's position, rather than as a tool to change attitudes. An experimental test of attitudinal and image effects of issue / advocacy advertising confirmed this theoretical view. The results indicated that issue / advocacy advertising inoculates against attitude change, while simultaneously protecting sponsors against slippage in ratings of source credibility, after exposure to a persuasive attack on behalf of an opposing position. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and policy implications.