Final answer:
Negative campaigning in presidential elections was first used in the Depression year of 1932. Democrats attacked President Hoover and Republicans, using marketing tactics to brand them as the architects of ruin.
Step-by-step explanation:
Negative campaigning in presidential elections was first used in the Depression year of 1932. During this time, the Democrats attacked President Hoover and Republican members of Congress, using marketing tactics to brand them as the architects of ruin. They labeled unemployed workers' empty pockets as 'Hoover flags' and the newspaper that covered them at night as a 'Hoover blanket'. This negative campaign strategy was a time-honored strategy among both parties during times of economic decline.