Political advertising is a modern reality. Ads have been a crucial part of political campaigns for almost as long as politics has existed in the modern world. But they have been primarily reliant on campaign spots broadcasted through television and radio.

Now, however, it has taken over the internet. The increase in political advertising is so huge that Facebook India’s Ad Library report discloses that at least 20 of the top 50 digital ad spenders on the site were managed by political groups or related organizations and political supporters.

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Kartikye Gupta, a video editor who partnered with the advertising agency, Electica, to create more than 10 video campaigns ensuring free and fair elections in the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections, also witnessed these trends in the interest and engagement generated.

Kartikey’s video campaigns for partners like Voto Latino received 3.5M views across Facebook and Instagram, with the video Who Runs the Election and Life of a Ballot. Common Cause which ran the video Congrats America in English and Spanish, generated 2M views on various digital media platforms. NARAL also ran a couple of videos that received 1.5M impressions airing across three states – Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia.

Between 2014 and 2018 the number of political ad airings, both federal and gubernatorial, climbed by 86% in the United States. The Wesleyan Media Project reported that in 2020 there were approximately 4.9 million federal election ads broadcast which is more than twice as much as in 2012 or 2016. Some of the advertisements present politicians in a positive light, extolling their accomplishments and qualities; others are meant to spread awareness regarding voting and the relevant election themes and topics.

The question that arises is – do these ads have any real impact?
Based on data from the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, researchers Gordon and colleagues discovered that commercials have the potential to influence voter turnout and choice.

Sometimes, the media uses ads as a medium to condemn the opposition and find fault with their record, ethics, and overall leadership qualities. This is another reason why Kartikye’s videos were impactful. Since they had a positive tone, they boosted voter turnout in contrast to negative ads that can dwindle voter participation. Gordon and colleagues even discovered that the tone of an ad can tilt a tight election in some hypothetical cases. Al Gore might have succeeded in 2000 if only positive advertising had been run by their team, according to the report.

Political advertisements, hence, can have a significant impact on close races. Filmmakers and editors, by having authority over the tone and the message of their videos, can also affect voters and their decisions – something that election supervising bodies should probably take note of.