🚨Sound the Alarm!🚨
Tech Companies' Ad Disclosure Asleep at the Wheel Ahead of 2024 Elections ⚠️
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While the national media is focused on Trump’s NY trial, the latest campaign finance reports, and a flood of “horserace” surveys showing movement in the polls, there are developments in the world of social media political and issue advertising that are flying under the radar and deserve more attention.
🕵️ We dove through a few hundred pages of research to break down what these reports say, and what they mean for our elections which are now just 199 days away! What we learned is pretty scary. 🧟♂️
🇺🇸 Meanwhile, the Biden camp is blanketing swing states with targeted ads reaching voters in Arizona and Pennsylvania with heavily tailored messages, and the Trump campaign is back on the air for the first time since January.
🎨 We also tackle the longstanding ad-world debate about “creativity” vs “effectiveness” in advertising. Hint: making ads that work for brands vs candidates aren’t exactly the same, despite what some pundits may think!
Check all that out, and more, in this week’s ctrl+alt+persuade.
Big Tech's Transparency Report Card: Failing Grades 📉📝
OK, things are going to get a bit “wonky” here but this is important.
A study conducted by Mozilla and CheckFirst stress-tested the “ad transparency” tools of 11 major tech platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Apple App Store, Google, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
The study paints a sad picture of Big Tech's ad transparency landscape. Among the giants, “X” emerges as the primary offender, with dismal performance in providing meaningful data for watchdogs and users alike.
From incomplete ad content disclosure to insanely difficult search processes, the report highlights just how much work needs to be done between now and election season around the world by these tech giants.
But what's even more crazy? This report focuses on efforts by these platforms in the EU, which mandated this disclosure with the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
Surprise…we don’t have anything close to these requirements in the U.S.! And the odds of it happening by this version of Congress are, as Bret Easton Ellis wrote in a very different time (IYKYK) “Less than Zero.”
So why should you care?
These tools give voters the only way they can see who is sponsoring political ads on digital platforms, and where they run.
PLUS… FUN FACT!!
It’s only thanks to the meager ad databases available in the US that ctrl+alt+persuade is able to share these spots with students in the classroom, and show YOU most of the ads you see here in this site.
I promise you…it ain’t easy.
🐇 A peek down the rabbit hole…
Here are a few screen grabs from major platforms to give you an idea what it takes to track ads that are on digital. In these cases, you download a year’s worth of ad data into a .csv file, open in excel, and well…it’s a pain in the ass.
SNAP POLITICAL ADS LIBRARY (U.S.)
X Business (U.S.)
To make things even worse, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules governing disclosure on digital political ads are murky, at best.
While political TV ads have those famous “paid for by” disclaimers at the end of some vicious hit piece that interrupts you while you zone out to re-runs of “The Office” on good ol’ broadcast TV, online ads have no such requirements.
🤨 Still not convinced that ad transparency matters?
Then take a look at what's happening in the EU. According to a bombshell report by AI Forensics just out today, subtitled “Meta Lets pro-Russia Propaganda Ads Flood the EU,” a massive network of pro-Russian propaganda has been targeting voters in France and Germany, reaching a 38 million accounts in just six months. 😱🚨
Meta failed to identify and label the vast majority of these ads as political in a timely manner, allowing the disinformation to spread like wildfire. Here are just two examples from the report.
This is a prime example of what can happen when platforms don't prioritize ad transparency and moderation. So with the U.S. election just 200 days away, wars raging in two global hotspots, and platforms like X and Facebook dropping the ball on ad monitoring and reporting we can only ask…”what could could go wrong?”
Let’s Go Back to the Campaign Trail Now to Play: “Show Me the Money!” 💰
Yup, the fundraising reports came out and they show Democrats running circles around the GOP in a number of key congressional races. So, what does that mean for Election ‘24?
At this rate, Arizona is going to be off the board not only for the US Senate race, but for the critical electoral college votes that helped to deliver the presidency to Biden in 2020.
This is a big deal.
👩🎨 Storytelling vs Strategy? Making Ads that Work 💪
OK, we know the ads are going to flood in, and we may not know where they are coming from or who is paying for them.
That sucks, but what about the creative?
Recently, the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) ran a special series on 'How brands can prepare for a contentious political year'. If you aren't familiar with WARC and you are a brand marketer, strategist, or creative, check it out.
Trust me, I love me some WARC!
One article in particular caught my eye, though. In "Searching for the Angel's Cocktail," the author (an exec at management consultant/agency Accenture) makes the case that:
This year – with this presidential campaign – there is just one lesson we marketers need to learn. And here it is: "Storytelling is the strategy."
This is…wrong.
I love ads that tell stories more than anyone. I still show this amazing ad for VW from about 20 years ago and featuring Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” in my ad classes. 🥹
It gets me every time.
But effective political advertising is about message and execution. Can an ad with a powerful story break through and sway voters? Yes, of course. And Trump has proven that speaking to voters in a way that moves them emotionally can be incredibly effective. He has developed a narrative that resonates with his base on a deep, visceral level. 💯
However, storytelling alone is not a strategy. It's a tactic – a powerful one, but a tactic nonetheless. A truly effective political ad campaign needs a clear, data-driven strategy at its core. It needs to be based on a deep understanding of the target audience, their hopes, fears, and motivations. It needs to have a compelling message that speaks directly to those needs and desires. And yes, it needs to be executed in a way that grabs attention and sticks in the mind.
But without that solid strategic foundation, even the most emotionally resonant story will fall flat. It might make people feel something in the moment, but it won't change minds or influence behavior in the long run.
As we head into this contentious election season, marketers and advertisers need to remember that lesson. By all means, tell powerful stories that move people. But never forget that those stories need to be in service of a clear, compelling strategy. That's how you make ads that don't just entertain, but actually work. 💪
OK, we get it. Can we please see the ads now?
Yes, but first an interesting fact. According to AdImpact, in 2023, just 4% of Biden's TV ad airings focused on abortion. Instead his top messaging themes were energy, the economy, and healthcare.
So far in 2024, 90% of Biden's TV ad airings have focused on abortion.
Why would they do that? I wonder…
Biden-Harris hammering swing states with targeted messaging
Thoughts: Simple ad but…spot was wrote, cast, shot, cut and running within a few days of Arizona Supreme Court decision. Tells me their team have their shit together.
Thoughts: In a pivot from the abortion issue, the Biden team goes to working class Pennsylvania with a solid message for PA voters.
Trump back on the air (in PA at least) but still spending heavily on fundraising
AdImpact flagged the new spot from Trump below. Click on the image to see the ad.
Meantime, a search of ad spending online via Google (props to the Google ad transparency center here at least!) shows almost all ads from Trump are fundraising focused.
Koch-funded Super PAC hitting congressional D’s hard on the economy
Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP), a conservative advocacy group founded in 2004 and financed by David and Charles Koch, is up with this ad targeting house and senate candidates in key swing districts and states.
Thoughts: Simple and effective. Trump camp continues to focus on culture wars (and immigration) but this piece gets closer to what most Americans (and swing voters!) are concerned about.
What’s Next?
Big sports weekend ahead for those who observe…
Go Lakers. 🏀
Go Kings Go! 🏒
In between games, we'll be closely monitoring the race and providing our unique perspective on the campaign strategies and tactics that will shape the 2024 election.
Stay tuned for more insights and analysis!
Thanks for reading!
PS - Share any ads or content (good, bad, or awful) here.
Also on the lookout for contributors. If you have something to share about the ad world and Election ‘24 reach out.
Thanks for reading!