This study examines the influence of negative publicity on advertising effect. Specifically, this study investigates empirically the detrimental impact of negative publicity on the target attribute beliefs of advertised brand (direct effect), and spillover effects of negative publicity that go beyond the target attribute addressed in the negative publicity from the perspectives of accuracy motivation and defense motivation. Study results indicated that the detrimental impact of negative publicity on advertising effect varies under various combinations of accuracy motivation and defense motivation. Both consumers with high accuracy motivation and those with high brand commitment were negatively affected by the exposure to the negative publicity on their beliefs of the target attribute mentioned in the publicity. When it comes to the spillover effects on the related but unmentioned attributes subjects with high defense motivation successfully isolated the spillover effects on the related attributes. In contrast, subjects with high accuracy motivation showed the spillover effect on their beliefs on the related attributes not mentioned in the publicity. Further, concerning brand attitude change, only those showing spillover effects were responsible for the change in brand attitudes, suggesting the importance of considering spillover effects in advertising research dealing with publicity.