If they hesitated , even for one-thousandth of a second , before they clicked on the color that corresponded with the word , Weinberger said , it meant the word had an impact . Fear - based attack ads are sometimes used by candidates to influence voters . CNN interviewed eight undecided voters to measure the effectiveness of attack ads . Author Drew Pearson says fear - based ads appeal to voters ' subconscious .
Fear - based attack ads are sometimes used by candidates to influence voters . CNN interviewed eight undecided voters to measure the effectiveness of attack ads . Author Drew Pearson says fear - based ads appeal to voters ' subconscious .