Campaigning Online: Web Display Ads in the 2012 Presidential Campaign

Although much of what we know about political advertising comes from the study of television advertising alone, online advertising is an increasingly prominent part of political campaigning. Research on other online political communication—especially candidate websites, blogs, and social media—tends...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPS, political science & politics Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 414 - 419
Main Authors Ballard, Andrew O., Hillygus, D. Sunshine, Konitzer, Tobias
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.07.2016
Subjects
Activism
Audiences
Blogs
Broadcasting
Communication Strategies
Engines
Internet
Location
Mass media
Political advertising
Political campaigns
Political Candidates
Political communication
POLITICS
Presidential candidates
Presidential elections
Presidents
Recruitment
Social Media
Television Commercials
Volunteers
Voters
World Wide Web
United States > US
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN1049-0965
1537-5935
DOI10.1017/S1049096516000780

Cover

More Information
Summary:Although much of what we know about political advertising comes from the study of television advertising alone, online advertising is an increasingly prominent part of political campaigning. Research on other online political communication—especially candidate websites, blogs, and social media—tends to conclude that these communications are aimed primarily at turning existing supporters into campaign donors, activists, and volunteers. Is a similar communication strategy found in online display ads—those ads placed adjacent to website content? In one of the first systematic analyses of the nature, content, and targets of online display advertising, we examined 840 unique online display ads from the 2012 presidential campaign. We show that the policy content, ad location, and interactive elements of the ads varied based on the audience, with persuasive appeals aimed at undecided or persuadable voters and engagement appeals aimed at existing supporters. Comparing ad content across candidates also found that each side focused on those issues for which the candidate had a strategic advantage. As a consequence, and in contrast to the conclusions of previous research that examines television advertising, we found minimal issue engagement in online advertising.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:1049-0965
1537-5935
DOI:10.1017/S1049096516000780