Impact of Digital Advertising on Political Campaigns

 

Impact of Digital Advertising on Political Campaigns

Political campaigns enable candidates to communicate their message directly to voters and shape the political discourse. By utilizing diverse media platforms, candidates can effectively target audiences that may have previously been disengaged from the political process. Advertising allows them to establish their identity, emphasize significant matters, and draw attention to the weaknesses of their rivals. Correspondence to editors, news or feature pieces, editorial commentary, or responses to editorials in a regularly published newspaper, magazine, radio, or television broadcast that typically does not require payment for the printed space or broadcast time is not categorized under political advertising. However, political campaigns involve various activities such as rallies, debates, fundraisers, canvassing, engaging with constituents, and engaging in physical contact with infants. These aspects have been integral to political campaigns since William McKinley's 1896 presidential campaign, which introduced a systematic and well-organized approach to running for the presidency and is considered the first "modern" campaign in history.

Historically, newspapers, direct mail, radio, and television served as the mediums for political advertisements. Social media, being a recent addition to the realm of political communication, possesses certain characteristics that set it apart from previous forms of media. Similar to newspapers and cable television channels, there is virtually no restriction on the number of social media sites one can operate to advertise their political narratives. Some of the most prominent platforms used in the modern political environment include Facebook (including its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram), Google (including its subsidiary YouTube), and Twitter. All these platforms have impacted political advertising in various ways, as illustrated below. 

Efficient Targeting of Voters

Political campaigns involve strategic planning and effectively targeting the appropriate voting demographic with tailored messages. Targeting is an integral aspect of strategy development in all forms of advertising. Digital advertising enables politicians to have the ability to acquire and scrutinize engagement data in the platforms and determine the appropriate campaign message conveyed to the appropriate demographic. Social media platforms make targeting easier with minimal or negligible expenses to the campaign. Furthermore, politicians now possess the capability to perceive and comprehend people's responses and viewpoints about policy proposals and visions on their Facebook and Twitter pages. Therefore, digital media has become beneficial for enhancing the effectiveness of targeting in political campaigns.

Platforms for Engagement and Conversations

Social networking platforms have also developed as crucial arenas for engaging in political debates and conversations and organizing civic-minded activities at both local and national levels in the United States. According to a recent survey conducted by Pew Research, more than 50% of Americans have engaged in political or socially-oriented activities on social media over the last year. In contrast to traditional media channels, digital media engagements have grown more accessible to regular individuals in terms of both creation and consumption. Even users with little knowledge can successfully participate and create content online. Through these comments, politicians can design their campaign ads by incorporating the audience's needs that they most complain about. As a result, through association, politicians can produce a compelling ad that aligns with the audience's needs and gain more supporters. 

Quick, Cheap, and Easy Dissemination of Political Campaign Ads

Digital media has created less distinction between information generation and consumption, as users now can create personal blogs and podcasts, document their everyday activities as desired, and share and upload movies on YouTube. Based on these platforms' widespread popularity and excitement, users have largely accepted media production and consumption merging. As a result, digital media platforms allow people to widely share political ad videos once posted by the candidates across various platforms. For instance, an ad posted on YouTube can be easily and freely shared and downloaded by various people on different social platforms, making it reach a wide audience.

Besides, digital media has effectively overcome the limitations of place and time, allowing users to communicate instantly through text chats, voice chats, and video calls. In addition to overcoming the conventional obstacle of geographic distance, digital media have enabled immediate communication and users' ability to transform their perception of place. In political campaigns, this would involve the capacity to obtain information or engage in forums that previously would have been inaccessible owing to geographical distance and temporal limitations. Therefore, by utilizing digital media technology, individuals within a community can convene online to engage in conversations on important subjects, exchange thoughts, and articulate their personal and collective perspectives on mutually relevant matters. As a result, these platforms have the potential to enhance community colloquia, allowing users to connect with both professionals and non-experts to exchange diverse or similar perspectives through these virtual connections.

In conclusion, the way information is exchanged and consumed in the present digital media environment has shifted considerably from traditional formats to more flexible and personalized platforms linked with digital power or mobile culture. Through the smart use of social networks, political candidates use these platforms to facilitate their campaigns and attract potential voters.