John McClung, Group Director at AdQuick

The U.S. General Election is right around the corner, which means that you are probably already being pummeled by political advertising left and right (no pun intended). This will be especially true for parts of the country where hotly-contested showdowns are taking place.

That’s just one reason why now’s the time for politicians, PACS, and non-profit organizations to finish planning their advertising campaigns, so they’re ready to go once we enter the final stretch in September. However, unlike most other forms of advertising, political advertising is unique in that it comes with a lot of strings attached (aka, rules). So, to make sure you’re caught up on the basics, here’s a handy guide for political advertising to help you get your campaigns up and running without a hitch.

Important rules for political advertisers to follow

Political advertising has a lot of do’s and don’ts that must be respected at all times. Some of these rules are specific to an advertising medium or may vary state by state. So, be sure to do your homework before pushing anything live. That being said, here’s a short list of political advertising rules and regulations that apply across the board.

1. No discounts allowed

The Federal Election Committee—the non-partisan body that governs election rules—clearly states that media vendors cannot provide discounts to politicians or groups doing advertising on behalf of candidates or ballot measures. This is because a discount is basically a donation in sheep’s clothing, and the rules are even more specific about donations. Not to mention, if a vendor offered a candidate they supported a discount but did not do the same or, worse, only offered higher rates to an opposing candidate, that discount would inevitably be riddled with all sorts of bias. So, as you can imagine, this rule was put in place to even the playing field.=

But nothing in the world of politics is ever cut and dry, and this truism applies to political advertising as well. This means that this rule can take slightly different forms based on the chosen advertising medium:=

• TV and Radio: Political advertisers are required to pay the lowest approved (and public) rate established for the year. So what do these media vendors do? They jack up prices across the board to cut their losses and make advertising more expensive for everyone.
• OOH: Political advertisers are required to pay the published rate card price. Easy as that.

2. Only certain OOH ad formats can be used for partisan messaging

Before even diving into these rules—which you’ll see are somewhat complicated at best—it can be said that there’s a lot more off-limits for political advertisers on this front. Here’s a rundown:

• Government Property: Partisan messaging is completely off-limits here. And unfortunately, this cuts into a pretty big swath of available inventory. Say goodbye to advertising in public transit, airports, bike shares, bus shelters, and quite a bit of street furniture.
• Place-Based Ads: You know those digital screens at retail shops, medical offices, and, how could we forget, in the bathrooms of many bars and restaurants? Well, most of those are off-limits as well. Part of the reason is because those establishments don’t want to show any kind of bias; however, most of the reason is because it creates a negative customer experience, especially these days when politics has become more divisive than ever.
• Billboards and Wild Postings: Finally, we have some good news—this is a space where political advertisers can almost freely play. And fortunately, there’s not a shortage of billboards around the country. It’s just a matter of pinpointing the right billboards to reach your desired audience. As for wild postings, aka guerilla marketing, those can be scattered everywhere, as long as they abide by local rules. Some cities, in general, don’t like having their walls cluttered with ads, whether it’s for political purposes or otherwise. Be sure to check what’s within your city or district’s limits.

Now, there’s a big caveat to all of the above. Some media vendors may have their own stance on political advertising meaning they simply don’t allow it. So, as much as we’d like this to be cut and dry, unfortunately, there are always exceptions to the rule.

3. Get-out-the-vote messaging is almost always allowed

Before you get too excited here, there is, yet again, a pretty big caveat: this kind of advertising must be purchased by a 501-C3 non-profit organization, like Vote.org, and not by political candidates or PACS. Why? Because encouraging people to vote, at its very core, is simply the right thing to do and should not be partisan in any way.

Why is OOH the best solution for political advertisers?

OOH ads are a great tool for political advertisers to add to their political advertising arsenal for a variety of reasons. Compared to other advertising media channels, out-of-home tends to rank higher on the trust scale due to what we like to call its “legitimizing effect.” This is supported by recent research that found 58% of consumers are very likely or likely to believe messaging in OOH ads compared to TV, social media, and digital. In addition, OOH ads are everywhere. This is because out-of-home advertising goes well beyond billboard advertising alone (the medium that is typically thought of first in the context of out-of-home). From taxi toppers to bus shelters to wall scapes—and the list goes on—almost any surface these days can be transformed (aka, monetized) into an OOH ad.  Finally, OOH ads offer more bang for your buck: greater reach at a lower cost. Even though out-of-home advertising has had a bit of a renaissance in recent years, it still continues to offer the lowest CPMs of any traditional medium. For example, the median CPM of OOH Media in the United States is only $9.25, which includes prime locations like New York and San Francisco.

OOH just might be the missing link to your campaign efforts that you’ve always been looking for. So if you haven’t thought about running OOH ads in the past, maybe it’s time to think again and add it to your political advertising mix. Just be sure to read up on what’s allowed in your local area before committing your ad dollars –– or connect with a partner that can show you the ropes.

[wpforms id=”9787″]

Paid Advertisement