Tag: advertising

"We believe that when you visit a Page or see an ad on Facebook it should be clear who it's coming from," Zuckerberg said in an online post announcing that the social media giant will now require disclosure on any issue ads that run on its platform. Zuckerberg said issue ads are "ads about political topics being debated across the country. We'll work with third parties to develop a list of key issues and will refine that list over time." A separate Facebook post said examples may include "pro-life/pro-choice," Second Amendment ads or ads that express "support for public infrastructure, like new roads." The additional measures come after Facebook announced similar disclosure requirements in October for election-related ads from political candidates. Instituting the new disclosure requirements, in particular, was something Facebook initially was not keen to do, especially keeping a database of ads, but it gets at the heart of the alleged complex Kremlin-backed campaign to interfere in the 2016 elections in which a Russian organization - the Internet Research Agency - is accused of spreading disinformation online in the U.S. to stoke political and racial tensions, activity for which special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians and three Russian companies – charges the Russians deny. "Advertisers that don't clear the process will be banned from running political ads on our platforms until they properly authorized," a spokesman told ABC. Zuckerberg, saying his company "won't catch every ad that should be labeled," but Facebook will now encourage its users to report suspicious content. "People can do this by tapping the three dots at the top right corner of the ad and selecting “Report Ad," Zuckerberg said. The legislation garnered the support early on from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., long an advocate for more disclosure in elections.

“We are thrilled to partner with AAN and CLF once again for the next two years,” Google’s head of conservative advertising, Lee Dunn, said in a press release. “We look forward to helping CLF win elections in 2018,” Dunn said. So that means the interests of candidates and these digital platforms are aligned in a way that may be contrary to the interests of the public as a whole.” ‘Ideation sessions’ An October article published in the journal Political Communication found that digital advertising platforms had developed partisan advertising teams to work with clients on both sides of the aisle. During the general election, the companies embedded team members in the campaigns. Dunn, who recently switched roles again and is leading Google’s international elections outreach, touts her “deep relationships with top political donors, candidates, campaign committees and political advertising agencies” in her LinkedIn profile. The AAN press release announcing the organization’s preferred partnership with Google states that it includes “increased measurement and analytical support from Google’s Elections and Advocacy Team.” One marketer said the close relationship between digital advertising platforms and political groups is a natural occurrence when technology is developing so rapidly. “I really think this is Google’s attempt to say, ‘Look, the media environment is shifting dramatically and the clientele don’t understand the digital world enough to be able to spend that money effectively.’ ” Top-spending Super PAC Formed less than a decade ago, AAN and CLF support Republican congressional candidates and promote conservative policies. CLF has been the top-spending super PAC during the 2018 election cycle, shelling out more than $11 million to support conservative congressional candidates. The advocacy spending includes $9 million on digital ads, and another $10 million on ad campaigns that appeared both on air and on digital platforms. Unlike traditional broadcast ads — where the topic of the advertisement, the amount spent on it, and the identity of the ad’s sponsor are all publicly disclosed on the Federal Communications Commission website — digital advertisements are generally not reported to regulators unless they specifically advocate for or against a candidate.

Online home goods company Wayfair said it will stop advertising on Fox News host Laura Ingraham's show after she posted a tweet critical of a Parkland, Fla., high school student. "As a company, we support open dialogue and debate on issues. "We do not plan to continue advertising on this particular program." Ingraham faced backlash this week after she posted a tweet critical of Parkland student David Hogg, who has become a vocal advocate for gun control since the mass shooting last month at his high school. Ingraham on Wednesday shared a Daily Wire story that reported Hogg was rejected from four colleges. “David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates),” Ingraham tweeted. At least two other advertisers, TripAdvisor and pet food brand Nutrish, also said Thursday they would stop advertising on her program. Ingraham apologized Thursday for "any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland." He helped organize and lead the March for Our Lives rally last weekend in Washington, D.C., and has been warning lawmakers that they will be voted out of office if they don't pass new gun laws.

Russian interference in the campaign included covert ads on social media and phony Facebook groups pumping out falsehoods. The U.S. Senate election in Alabama in December was rife with fake online reports in support of Republican Roy Moore, who eventually lost to Democrat Doug Jones amid allegations that Moore had sexual contact with teenagers when he was a prosecutor in his 30s. The difference now is how quickly false information spreads. A study released this past week found that false information spreads faster and wider on Twitter than real news stories. But online ads have no comparable requirements. Facebook has partnered with media organizations, including The Associated Press, to flag false information on its platform. Still, because there are so many candidates for office in the U.S., Facebook is limiting itself to federal races at first. Who Targets You designed an online tool that will collect Facebook political ads and deposit them in a database. Other organizations, including the AP, have begun publishing stories specifically intended to knock down false information circulating on social media. In Seattle's municipal election last year, online ad spending increased 5,000 percent over the previous cycle in 2013.

Fox News host Sean Hannity on Sunday encouraged Twitter users breaking Keurig machines in an apparent protest after the company said it would no longer advertise during Hannity’s television show. “Deplorable friends, I am buying 500 coffee makers tomorrow to give away!! Details on radio and TV. The Fox News host also wrote “Love it,” quoting a video showing a man smashing a Keurig machine with a gold club. Hannity’s Twitter tirade about Keurig comes after the company wrote in a tweet to the president of the liberal group Media Matters for America that it will no longer advertise during Hannity’s show on Fox. “We worked with our media partner and FOX news to stop our ad from airing during the Sean Hannity Show.” Carusone cited Hannity's coverage of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) in his criticism on the social media website. Hannity last week urged viewers not to rush to judgment in the case of Moore, citing other cases, like the Duke lacrosse rape case, where individuals were found to be innocent. Hannity then interviewed the Alabama Republican on his radio show Friday. During that interview, Moore denied the allegation in The Washington Post story that he in 1979 had sexual contact with a 14-year-old. The Post's story included accounts from three women who said Moore attempted to court them during the same time frame — when they were between 16 and 18 years old.

As he rallied for the Democratic candidate Ralph Northam on Thursday night, Obama mentioned that he and his wife, Michelle Obama, have seen Republican Ed Gillespie’s commercials airing on television in their D.C. home. “Look, we all have valid concerns about crime,” Obama said. But the fact is crime and illegal immigration are as low as they’ve been in decades. What he really believes is if you scare enough voters, you might score just enough votes to win an election,” Obama said. After this summer’s deadly clashes in Charlottesville instigated by white nationalists rallying to protect a Confederate statue, Northam called on localities to relocate such monuments to museums and promised to be a vocal advocate for such an approach. How come we can’t get things through the state House?

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Sunday that she is working on legislation that would mandate online political advertisements be subject to the same rules as broadcast ads. “And the rules that apply for ads when they’re put on TV or radio, where you have to register them and say how much you paid, that doesn’t apply to these online ads. The social media company admitted last month that Russians possibly tied to the Kremlin purchased ads on the platform during the presidential race. Last week, Facebook said approximately 10 million people viewed political ads bought by Russian actors near the 2016 election. Klobuchar is working on a bill with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who has been one of the co-leaders of the committee’s investigation into Russia’s attempts to meddle in the United States election last year. The Minnesota lawmaker said the goal of the future legislation is to require political ads online to register date and time slots, similar to that of broadcast ads. “It’s pretty much what you do on broadcast. Now the difference is broadcast is seen by everyone and these Facebook ads are really hidden,” Klobuchar explained.

On Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced significant changes to the way that the platform will handle political advertising, following calls from members of Congress to provide additional information on what it has learned about Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential campaign. The company said the ads were not advocating for or against a specific candidate, but were oriented toward swaying opinion on divisive issues. He also outlined a series of steps the company is taking to require additional disclosure from the sources of political ads, but some lawmakers reportedly want added regulation for online spots. Zuckerberg said Facebook’s own internal investigation is continuing, but he also urged other tech companies to cooperate with lawmakers as they pursue leads on Russian election interference. A spokeswoman for Twitter said representatives will meet with the Senate Intelligence Committee next week to share what they have learned about Russian sources’ 2016 election posts. But despite the efforts by the companies to show they are cooperating and taking steps to try to curb the use of their platforms for interference by foreign sources, lawmakers are continuing their pressure on internet firms. That is something that the company is declining to do, citing national security and privacy issues.