COMMENTARY
- by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 11 hours ago
The rise in political advertising campaigns on digital media sites should give all marketers, consumers and voters pause in the coming years. Who are these political operatives and what are they really telling us?
Consider all the fake news, digital ad fraud -- and yes, Russian-flavored political advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Google.
What are the big changes? For one, there might be more advertising going to broadcast, cable, print and outdoor advertising.
Still, digital media will grow, thanks to the ease of media buying on digital platforms. Borrell Associates that estimates half or all digital political advertising in 2018 will be done programmatically -- through automated advertising systems that really don’t require human interaction.
All this made way for thousands of Russian-inspired ads on social media and other sites, stirring the pot for an undetermined number of U.S voters.
These Russian-backed political messages included pushing propaganda on Americans who were susceptible to anti-Muslim messages, anti-Hillary Clinton ads, and issues over gun control. There were also a number of Russian-linked Facebook ads specifically targeting Michigan and Wisconsin -- two states key to the election of Donald Trump as president.
This is a backdrop to next year, when Borrell says $1.9 billion in political advertising looks to make its way onto digital platforms.
Say what you will about all the controls that Facebook, Google, Twitter and others are implementing -- nothing is perfect. Recent reports suggest big traditional marketers -- Amazon, eBay, Mars, Diageo, Adidas and Deutsche Bank -- pulled their YouTube advertising when it ran questionable content related to children.
YouTube recently terminated accounts, removed 150,000 videos, and turned off the comment section of anyone targeting children. It also removed 2 million pieces of video and stopped 50,000 channels “masquerading as family-friendly content.”
These won’t stop, because automated systems for placing digital media advertising won’t stop. And that means the need for super-sophisticated protection to combat sophisticated digital media trolls -- political, criminal or otherwise.
Added to this is the augur of possible federal digital media regulations -- something traditional TV networks and stations are required to adhere to.
Special interests? Advertising from seemingly omnipresent super PACs? Next year, they will command 64% of all U.S. political advertising -- with $1.3 billion of their $1.9 million going into digital.
How safe are your brands now?
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