Malcolm Rivera
Political advertising is a significant aspect of election campaigns, with digital political advertising accounting for about 18% of campaign ad spending in the 2019-2020 election cycle in the United States. Various resources are available to access historical and current political and campaign ads, providing valuable insights into the strategies and spending of candidates, political parties, and interest groups. These archives and databases offer a window into the world of political advertising and its influence on the electoral process. From traditional TV and radio ads to online platforms, understanding how to find and interpret political and campaign ads is essential for voters, researchers, and journalists alike.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Online archives | California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has recommended the creation of a digital archive to track online political ads |
| Google's Political Advertising in the United States database covers ad spending by state, congressional district, and top advertisers | |
| The Political TV Ad Archive has collected and tracked airings of political ads in key markets during the 2016 election cycle | |
| Open Secrets' Ad Data contains FCC filings from broadcasters, allowing the public to track contracts, correspondence, and other political ad-related information | |
| Duke University Libraries' AdViews offers access to historical commercials from the 1950s to 1980s | |
| Searchable online archives | Cornell University's The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials offers a curated selection of presidential campaign ads |
| The Internet Archive offers Thumbnails for Presidential Campaign Ads 1960-1976, with each thumbnail representing 1 minute of video | |
| The Internet Archive's Community Video section includes the Political TV Ad Archive, with searchable, viewable, and shareable 2016 political TV ads | |
| Ad regulations | Google requires political ads and destinations to comply with local legal requirements, including campaign and election laws and "silence periods" |
| Google has specific requirements for election ads in certain regions, including advertiser verification and disclosure and targeting restrictions | |
| Google outlines specific restrictions for election ads in Chile, the EU, and British Columbia | |
| Virginia has specific requirements for online political advertisers, including self-identification and certification of compliance with state and local laws | |
| Ad spending | Digital political advertising accounted for about 2%-3% of overall campaign ad spending during the 2015-2016 election cycle |
| Digital political advertising spending increased to about 18% (or $1.6 billion) by the 2019-2020 election cycle |
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What You'll Learn
Google's Political Advertising database
Google's Political Advertising Transparency Report is a database that offers transparency in political advertising on Google, YouTube, and their partner sites. It was launched in 2018 alongside Google's Election Advertising Verification Policy, which requires all advertisers to complete a verification process before running election ads. The database covers ad spending by state, congressional district, and top advertisers and provides links to presidential ads from 2018 onwards. It is updated daily and is downloadable in CSV format.
The user interface of the database allows users to search and analyze ad spending over time in a specific location, ranging from an entire country to a specific state or congressional district. For example, users can view spending in Alabama from 2018 to 2022, along with district-by-district spending amounts and the top advertisers in the state.
The dataset also enables users to identify political advertisers targeting specific demographics. For instance, a query can be written to identify advertisers targeting women in Florida before the 2022 US midterm elections. This query would provide details such as the advertiser's name, page, gender and general location targeting, and the total number of election ads run for this demographic.
Google's Political Ads Transparency Report dataset contains information on election ads run by verified advertisers across Google Ads, YouTube, and Google Display & Video 360. The definition of an election ad on Google varies by country or region. In the United States, for instance, an election ad refers to any ad that mentions a US state-level or federal candidate or office holder, political party, or ballot measure.
While Google's database collects candidate ads in the US, it does not include issue ads or state and local ads.
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The Political TV Ad Archive
The archive was developed by the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library, in collaboration with media innovators Mark Boas and Laurian Gridnoc. The team utilised the TV News Archive, an extensive collection of fact-checked news clips, to create a dedicated repository for political TV advertisements. This curated collection ensures that users can easily access and analyse political ads without sifting through vast amounts of unrelated content.
Another key feature is the integration of fact-checking. The archive links to fact-checks by national organisations such as FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post's Fact Checker. This ensures that users can verify the accuracy of claims made in the advertisements and helps to identify misleading or false information. The Contextubot tool, developed specifically for the archive, further enhances this capability by allowing users to search for videos within a video, providing context to statements and claims.
Overall, The Political TV Ad Archive is a powerful resource for anyone interested in the role of political advertising in elections and policymaking. By providing curated access to historical and contemporary political TV ads, along with fact-checking and spending data, it offers a unique perspective on the strategies and impact of political campaigns.
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Open Secrets' Ad Data
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation that tracks money in US politics and its influence on public policy and elections. It is a research tool that can be used to find political and campaign ads.
The OpenSecrets Ad Data page contains filings submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by broadcasters across the US. Radio, TV, satellite, and cable providers are required to submit a "political file" to the FCC, which includes details on contracts, correspondence, and other filings related to candidates, super PACs, dark money groups, and other entities running political and issue ads. This data is updated daily by OpenSecrets.
The Ad Data page also provides access to a searchable database of officials' personal financial reports, allowing users to see the donors behind state leaders and judicial officeholders, as well as the industries and special interest groups supporting them. It also offers insight into campaign expenditures, allowing users to explore how candidates and political groups spend donor money, including on online ads. This includes a snapshot of spending on Google and Facebook ads, with details on how much advertisers are spending to target users in each state.
Additionally, OpenSecrets provides summary data, raw data, and specialised research on state and federal political contributions, expenditures, and lobbying activities. This data spans over 30 years and is sourced from government agencies, including the Federal Election Commission, Senate Office of Public Records, and Internal Revenue Service.
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Duke University Libraries' AdViews
The DMB&B Archives contain a wealth of vintage brand advertising from the early decades of mainstream commercial television. The AdViews collection includes materials from three companies: D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Benton & Bowles, and D'Arcy MacManus Masius. The archives document the history of Benton & Bowles, the merger of D'Arcy MacManus Masius and Benton & Bowles, and the early careers of key figures such as William Benton and Atherton W. Hobler.
AdViews offers a unique resource for students and researchers interested in the history of advertising, marketing, and brand development during the mid-20th century. The collection provides insights into the creative strategies, production techniques, and social and cultural trends that shaped advertising during this formative period. By digitizing the DMB&B Archives, Duke University Libraries have ensured that this valuable piece of advertising history is preserved and accessible to a global audience.
The AdViews project is supported by the Lowell and Eileen Aptman Digital Preservation Fund, which helps to ensure the long-term accessibility and preservation of the digital collection. This funding contributes to the ongoing maintenance, storage, and technical development required to maintain a digital archive of this scale. AdViews is just one example of how Duke University Libraries are utilizing digital technologies to expand access to their unique special collections and contribute to research and education in advertising and marketing history.
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Google's requirements for political ads
Google has specific policies in place for political and election advertising, which vary depending on the region. The company supports responsible political advertising and requires all political ads to comply with local campaign and election laws, mandated election "silence periods", and other legal requirements for the areas they target. Google Ad Grants accounts are not eligible to run election ads or apply for election ad verification.
Google requires verification for advertisers who want to run election ads in Google Ads and Display & Video 360 in specific regions. The verification process can take up to 10 business days and includes a notification system to alert advertisers when verification is required. Election ads run by verified advertisers in regions where verification is necessary must contain a disclosure identifying the ad's sponsor. Google automatically generates this disclosure using the information provided during the verification process.
Google offers several formats for political advertisers, including search ads, which appear on Google in response to searches for specific topics or candidates; YouTube ads, which appear on YouTube videos and generate revenue for creators; and display ads, which appear on websites and generate revenue for Google's publishing partners.
Google is committed to improving voters' confidence in the political ads they encounter on its platforms and bringing additional transparency to the ads it serves. The company takes steps to protect campaigns, promote authoritative election news, and safeguard elections from foreign interference.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several online databases that provide access to political and campaign ads, such as Google's Political Advertising in the United States, Open Secrets' Ad Data, Duke University Libraries' AdViews, and the Political TV Ad Archive.
You can find information on campaign expenditures and ad spending by using tools such as Google's Political Advertising database, OpenSecrets' Ad Data, and Infobase's Films on Demand. These sources provide insights into how candidates and political groups spend donor money and allow you to track campaign spending by state office seekers.
Yes, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City has a collection of presidential campaign commercials dating back to 1952. Additionally, Duke University Libraries offer access to thousands of historical commercials from the 1950s to the 1980s.
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