Advocacy advertising promotes a particular position on an issue and can be funded by companies and political organizations. It can be placed on billboards, print magazines and newspapers, online and on television. The law on advocacy advertising varies depending on the country. Individuals may also be involved in advocacy advertising.
Advocacy advertising is advertising that is used to promote a particular position on an issue. Advertisements may address legislation, political topics, and other matters deemed of interest to the public. This publicity can be funded by companies and political organizations and can be a very big deal. Sometimes large amounts of money hang in the balance and so companies are willing to spend significant amounts of money on their advertising.
An example of this type of advertisement would be an advertisement promoting offshore oil drilling in the United States. Such ads could promote the availability of oil resources, reduction of dependence on foreign oil, and other benefits, with the goal of persuading the public to support offshore drilling. A company that could place such an ad would be an oil company that may be hoping to land drilling contracts or that wants to keep oil drilling in the public eye. Conversely, an ad opposing offshore drilling could be placed by an environmental group or alternative energy company that wants to encourage people to consider options like wind or solar power.
The law on advocacy advertising varies, depending on the country where the ad is placed. In some countries, such advertising may need to be clearly marked as an advertisement and the business, person or entity that provided the funding must be disclosed. This is designed to alert people to the fact that such ads are not editorial or informational pieces, but are specifically advertisements.
Companies can place advocacy advertisements on billboards, print magazines and newspapers, online and on television. The content of the ads can vary widely, as can the point of view from which the problem is presented. Like other advertisements, advocacy advertising is designed to grab attention and win hearts and minds; the goal is that after being exposed to an advertisement, people can either take a stand on an issue on which they felt neutral or be persuaded to change their position.
On some occasions, individuals may be involved in advocacy advertising. Very wealthy individuals, for example, have been known to place full-page advertisements in the newspaper to be used as a platform for advancing opinions. Sometimes individuals may even join together to place an advertisement. All over the world, advertising companies specializing in advocacy advertising help people develop the most effective ads possible for their budgets.
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