Political Advertising Includes Any Advertising Displays, Newspaper Ads, Billboards

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TECHNOLOGY AND ITS EFFECTS ON POLITICS

Political Advertising

Definitions
Political advertising includes any advertising displays, newspaper ads, billboards,
signs, brochures, articles, tabloids, flyers, letters, radio or television presentations,
digital or social media advertising, or other means of mass communication, used for
the purpose of appealing, directly or indirectly, for votes or for financial or other
support in any election campaign. RCW 42,17A,005(36)
Mass communication: a message intended to reach a large audience through any of
the methods described above as well as periodicals, sample ballots, web sites, e-
mails, text messages, social media, and other online or electronic formats enabling
the exchange of communication. WAC 390-05-290. Sending 100 or more identical
or substantially similar letters, e-mails or text messages to specific recipients within a
30-day period is an example of mass communication.
Political advertising does not include letters to the editor, news or feature articles,
editorial comment or replies to editorials in a regularly published newspaper,
periodical, or on a radio or television broadcast where payment for the printed space
or broadcast time is not normally required. [WAC 390-05-290]
General Requirements
 Most political advertising requires sponsor identification (a brief message that
explains who paid for the ad). The type of ad, print, broadcast, etc., determines how
the sponsor ID must be displayed.
 All political advertising about a candidate for partisan office must identify the
candidate's party preference. There are no exemptions..
 Statements about candidates in political advertisements must be truthful.
 When candidate photos appear in political ads, at least one photo must have been
taken in the last five years and it can be no smaller than the largest photo in the ad.
Political advertisements are not required to identify the office or position a candidate
is seeking.
These instructions are for political advertising that is sponsored by a candidate or
has been coordinated with a candidate. Requirements for independent advertising -
advertising that is not coordinated with a candidate - are explained in the Political
Committee Instructions.

As technology develops with every passing day, so does a lot of the ways we tend to get
influenced, and so does the way politics is perceived and promoted in our society.

Political candidates use technology in many ways. Different communication channels


provided by the Internet have the power to influence the growth of different
individuals in their respective spheres. The likes of Twitter, Facebook, and
YouTube are powerful communication media platforms that can easily
raise the ratings of political candidates. Housley claims that whether we
acknowledge it or not, technology is a deciding factor in most political races. Through
technology, politicians are able to access funds, gain political pundits, and spend less
on campaigning and pushing their candidacy.

One of the ways in which technology influences politics is the financial


side. Raising funds to use for campaigning is an important factor for political
candidates. It comes with the need to create a vertical response to the whole country
or target region. This is a major hurdle experienced by political candidates. The
Internet aided Howard Dean to get donations that he required to gain access to a
large part of the campaign region. By broadcasting through technological marketing,
candidates get suitable donors to support different parts of their campaigns.
Publicity on the Internet is a cheap method, as they do not have to re-publish, unlike
what is provided by the print media. This is placed in various commonly-accessed
links (Housley, Par. 1).

The Internet enables politicians to use podcasting. The act of podcasting can
make anyone a journalist. Through podcasting, politicians are able to portray a
journalistic stature, thereby ensuring that the information is considered credible.
Self-proclamation of politicians through pundits is easily spread through messages.
It is, however, difficult for politicians to guarantee the integrity of the information
posted. The Internet can be accessed by anyone and podcasts can be posted by
anyone. The integrity of information is therefore difficult to preserve, hence, many
potential candidates may have to establish a verifiable connection with various
achievements. All in all, gaining political publicity through podcasts is a common but
expensive method to use, Housley admits. However, it is logical to assume that when
correctly utilized, this is an extremely powerful political tool that pays off completely.

According to Housley, the impact of technology is great on a given generation. The


young, educated, and affluent will relate to technological innovations. A
proper presentation will gain ratings for candidates. Using the most recent
technology will surely attract the youth. The older generation may not impact the
raising of presidential bids, especially if they are done through social media. The
older generation uses the Internet much less. The younger generation relates easily
to these media platforms. This differentiation is used by politicians to gain advantage
in their political bids. Politicians use technology to raise their bids among the youth,
while traditional methods are used for the older generation.

Another way to look at the matter is in relation to thinking about the


Internet as a tool for free advertising. It is no secret that presidential bids are
the most expensive, as they are run to cover the whole region. On the other hand,
political videos easily generate online rating gains, and such political Internet
advertisement will reach the target audience if launched properly. Individuals
perform the needed publicity as each person shares the video, and so on. The extra
generated videos are not paid for, while on social networks even the original posting
is free.

It is clear that gaining political publicity through the use of technology has become
easier, especially since technological devices are so accessible and widespread. The
article analysed is prudent in arranging technological tools into separate groups that
work as a effective means of communicating between a political figure and the target
audience. However, with the use of the Internet, any political figure can become
recognizable within just a few minutes. In only a few hours, public opinion on a
particular political figure is already formed within one of the social groups of
voters. Not just the good, but also a bad reputation can be formed in a blink of an eye
using modern technology. It often happens that the bad “gossip” spreads much
faster. With the huge impact that technology has on societies and public opinion in
particular, it is crucial to be cautious in the use of information about any political
figure, or you risk making a positive advertisement into a negative advertisement
with just one click.

ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCTION

Campaigning is done through Medias, newspapers and radios. By ruling of The Cable
Television Network Rules of 1994, political advertisements were prohibited.
However, a Supreme Court ruling in 2004 dictated that one may apply for an
advertisement to be displayed on TV, but it must be approved by a committee created
by the Chief Electoral Officer; the committee consists of The Joint Chief Electoral
Officer, a Returning Officer, and one expert. Additionally, the committee will only
consider advertisements from registered political parties or groups or organizations
whose headquarter are in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This model was
also spread to other states; they are to have a committee consisting of a Joint Chief
Electoral Officer, a Returning Officer, and one expert. Just as with Delhi, the other
territories are to consider applications from registered political parties or groups or
organizations whose headquarter are in the territory. In all cases, the Returning
Officer is the one who considers applications for advertisements. Additionally, there
is a committee within every state, designated by The Chief Electoral Officer, to
handle and complaints. This committee consists of The Chief Electoral Officer, an
observer, and an expert. In addition to these 2004 decisions, it was decided in 2007
that these procedures would be extended national parties for the elections in the
states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
The parties are not permitted to take funds from corporate houses and the funds of
the parties are non- taxable. The election commission which conducts the election
sets out the rules and regulations for every election and enforces these rules as well.
For example, all political parties have to stop campaigning forty eight hours before
the election. Similarly politicians facing criminal charges are often disqualified and
communal content in speeches are also not permitted.

HOW POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING IS DONE.

Campaign Apparatus and Forward Planning

The first thing to know is that political ads aren’t spontaneous.

Campaigns establish relationships early in the election cycle with media strategy
companies that will be responsible for actually making the ads, said ABC News’ Chief
Political Analyst Matthew Dowd.

By the time a candidate’s commercial gets to air, “you’ve already had these people on
board for a while,” he said.

Also sitting at the table, in most cases, is a media buy firm, which will be responsible
for buying the airtime from television stations around the country.

“The media buy firm is part of the conversation from the beginning,” Dowd said,
explaining that campaigns give these firms a target audience and the firms then buy
airtime on channels and during times of day that will most likely reach those
demographics.

“A campaign wants to reflect its message where it’s going to be most effective,” Doug
Heye, a Republican strategist, told ABC News. “What it talks about and what it
emphasizes may be different in different places.”

As the election moves forward, the campaign’s chief strategist “is the person who is
broadly responsible” for deciding how and when an advertisement will be released,
said Dowd, who played that role in George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign.

Crafting a Message

Using polls and focus groups, the strategist and other campaign officials get a broad
idea of the message that they want to send to voters.
Dowd described it as, “This is what we want to say about ourselves, and this is what
we want to say about our opponent.”

In 2004, he said, the campaign decided early on that its broad messaging strategy
was to paint George W. Bush as a strong, decisive leader and John Kerry as a weak
flip-flopper.

Heye said that messages should really focus on the ethos of the campaign.

“While polling and things like that are important, ads often come from -- and should
come from -- what the candidate’s reason for running is,” he told ABC News.

Once a campaign has a broad idea of its message, it will then consider specific
messages that fit within that framework.

The campaign then contacts the media firm or firms and solicits creative ideas for the
specific message they have in mind, Dowd said.

The firms then bring them back proposals and scripts, and from those the campaign
will greenlight an idea for production.

“Depending on the structure of the campaign, the ad can go through several edits,”
Heye said.

Production and Going to Air

Production generally falls into two categories: ads made from archive footage, or ads
made by filming the candidate or surrogates for the candidate.

“If it's an ad where you’re compiling footage, that goes very quickly,” Heye explained.
“If you need the candidate in the ad, you have to block out the candidate’s time,
where they are, and that can add to the time frame.”

The strategist said that often a candidate’s spouse will have input, especially when it
comes to whether he or she appears like their authentic selves on television.

If there’s a time a focus group can be assembled to see how the advertisement would
play with a target audience, but this is not often the case, Dowd said.

Once final approval is given, the ad is handed off to television stations and appears
on your screen at home.
While the process seems straightforward, Dowd said, “You’re planning this out weeks
and months in advance,” and “usually there’s a long planning process.”

What is political advertising?


Political advertising is advertising that attempts to influence or comment upon a
matter which is currently the subject of extensive political debate.
Political advertising includes advertising or marketing communications about a
political party, representative or candidate, advertising about political issues or
issues of public interest, and advertising in relation to government policies (whether
published/broadcast by the government or someone else). Advertising by
Government, political parties, lobby groups and other interest groups may fall into
this category.
Political advertising does not necessarily include all advertising by governments or
organisations that are at times involved in the political process, such as lobby groups
or interest groups. Such advertising may be regarded as informational or educational
rather than political, as determined on a case-by-case basis and complaints about
these advertisements which raise issues under section 2 of the AANA Code of
Ethics may be considered by the Ad Standards Community Panel.
Political advertising includes but is not limited to election advertising. The number of
complaints received about political advertising often increases during election
periods.

What is election advertising?


Advertising or marketing communications are generally regarded as “election
advertising” where they contain material intended or likely to affect voting in an
upcoming election. Election advertising is not necessarily limited to advertising by
parties or candidates contesting an election and may include advertising outside of
an election period where there is a relevant connection to an election. Generally, it
will not include government information or education campaigns outside of an
election period.
In determining whether an advertising or marketing communication is “election
advertising”, regard may be had to the provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act
1992, Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and State/Territory electoral legislation
relating to election matter and electoral advertising. For advertising in the non-
broadcast media, the presence of an authorisation required under the
Commonwealth Electoral Act (or State/Territory electoral legislation) will be a
relevant consideration. For broadcast advertising, the Broadcasting Services Act
requires an authorisation for all political matter, not just election advertising, and as
a result will not be a determinative factor.

Truth in political advertising


Many public complaints regarding political advertising raise issues about the truth
and accuracy of the advertisement, in particular concerns that the advertising is
misleading. The Community Panel considers complaints under Section 2 of the Code
of Ethics, which does not cover matters of truth and accuracy.
Ad Standards ordinarily refers public complainants with concerns about the truth or
accuracy of advertisements to the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) or the State/Territory consumer affairs/fair trading body.
However, although these organisations deal with claims of false and misleading
advertising, their jurisdictions are limited to matters involving trade and commerce
and do not extend to political advertising.
Currently, there is no legal requirement for the content of political advertising to be
factually correct. Complainants are advised to raise their concerns with the advertiser
directly and/or with their local Member of Parliament.

Offensiveness in political or election advertising


Complainants may also raise issues about the offensiveness of political advertising,
pertinent to Section 2 of the Code.
Where the complaint relates to an advertising or marketing communication that may
be regarded as political or election advertising, the complaint will usually not be
forwarded to the Community Panel for its consideration. The adjudication of
complaints about political and election material is outside the charter of the
Community Panel.
Political and election advertising is not considered by the Community Panel under
Section 2 for several reasons:

 The advertising self-regulation system was established as an industry


initiative with the objective of regulating commercial communications, not
advertisements containing political claims aimed at influencing the political
process.
 It is important to the Community Panel’s integrity that it is seen as an
impartial adjudicator free from perceptions of political bias.
 Adjudicating on complaints about election advertising could be regarded as
unduly restricting the implied constitutional freedom of political
communication or interfering with the political process.
 Opening up the system to political advertising could invite spurious claims
and nuisance complaints that may cause disruption to the normal political
process and an inappropriate drain on limited industry resources.

In our view, it is not possible to make decisions about whether a political or election
advertisement breaches the Code without the potential for being seen to be taking a
political viewpoint.
Other forms of advertising by governments and organisations that are at times
involved in the political process may be regarded as informational or educational
rather than political. Complaints about such advertising may be referred to the
Community Panel for consideration provided they are not regarded as political
advertising and they raise issues under section 2 of the Code.

Other organisations that regulate political or election advertising


Other organisations that may be of assistance in regard to political or election
advertising include:
 The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – The ACMA
has responsibility for the regulation of political and election matter in the
broadcast media under the Broadcasting Services Act, although this does not
extend to matters of truth and accuracy or defamatory statements. ACMA has
published further information on broadcasting and communication of
political and election matter which provides further guidance and is available
on its website.
 The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) – the AEC has responsibility for
the regulation of election advertising under the Commonwealth Electoral Act.
The AEC’s role includes ensuring that electoral advertisements are properly
authorised so that electors can know who is responsible for the statements
contained in them. The AEC has no role or responsibility in deciding whether
political messages published or broadcast in relation to a federal election are
true or untrue. The AEC has published an Electoral Backgrounder on Electoral
Advertising, available on its website.
 The relevant State/Territory Electoral Commission – the State/Territory
Electoral Commissions are responsible for matters including authorisation of
election advertising.

Complainants should be aware that Ad Standards is an industry funded body. It is


inappropriate for Ad Standards to assume jurisdiction over the content of political
advertising in the absence of Government support for such advertising to be
regulated.
Complainants may wish to raise concerns with their local Member of Parliament.

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