Good news for local media, especially news sites, has been in short supply in recent years, but the estimated $16 billion in U.S. political ad spending expected for 2024 could be a lifeline for digital publications struggling with advertisers’ economic fears and overzealous brand safety blockages.
Still, publishers must ensure that their sites do not carry offensive political ads or misinformation. With America’s political environment more contentious than ever, many publishers and ad tech platforms are hesitant to enter this vertical market despite the revenue potential because of their inability to keep inflammatory or misleading ads under control.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Publishers can continue to develop strategies to minimize the risks of political ads and enjoy the additional revenue without damaging their brand or alienating their readership.
Sensitive topics and misleading advertising require sensitivity and tact
The vast majority of political ads are innocuous, typically featuring a picture of the candidate, the position they are running for, and an inoffensive slogan. But when political content increases in September and October, local publishers tend to play a game of “Whac-a-Mole,” with ad teams scouring sites for ads flagged by users, editors, and executives. These inflammatory ads – from both sides of the aisle – are designed to provoke.
Hateful ads are just the tip of the iceberg. There are far more political issues that require flexible policymaking from publishers. Guns, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion are just a few examples of divisive issues that make headlines and appear in ads that could alienate audiences.
In addition, misleading practices such as intentionally concealing the source of payment for the ad, altered images using AI, and deepfakes contribute to the spread of disinformation in political advertising.
Setting policies reduces the risk of unwanted political ads
For publishers, the potential of political ads to anger their audience, reduce page views and engagement, and damage their brand reputation can make the increase in revenue pale in comparison. But there are damage control strategies and tools that are easy to implement.
It’s important that editorial, leadership and sales teams discuss and set the boundaries of acceptable political content in publications on the most controversial advertising topics, such as immigration and abortion. These guidelines determine what kind of messages and slogans are too much for readers.
Publishers will also have to decide how much tolerance they have for the use of AI in political advertising. The good news is that major political agencies are refusing to use generative AI for creative development. The FCC wants to further regulate the use of AI for political ad creation, but the rules likely won’t be in place in time for the 2024 election—and malicious actors will circumvent them anyway. Until then, publishers also have tools at their disposal to stop AI-created ads at the site or app level.
Partnerships and technology enable publishers to effectively monetize political ads
Once the policies are established, publishers should present them to their upstream partners, who will filter out ads that do not meet these policies.
DSPs and SSPs are also very cautious about the risks of political advertising, and many have even decided to move away from it. However, there are top-notch upstream partners that take publishers’ concerns seriously when screening ad content, such as DSPolitical. Using a creative gallery of all the ads running on a site to filter out specific political ads that are unsavory can also make it easier for publishers to block unwanted ads.
September and October are going to be incredible months for political advertising revenue for publishers. They still have time to get in the game and, more importantly, reduce the risks and still make money.
Sponsored by The Media Trust
https://digiday.com/?p=553014
