Abstract
Settled at the crossroads of politics and advertising, political advertising has an idiosyncratic nature that makes it both an embraced and criticized phenomenon. On the one hand, it is considered an integral part of democracies because it enables voters to make their political choices more consciously; on the other hand, it is thought that voters gradually lose their faith in the political process and in politicians, especially due to negative advertising in political campaigns. This chapter aims to explain the paradoxical character of political advertising in the context of Australia. In this route, firstly, Australia's historical development and political and socio-cultural structure are examined. Then, legislative regulation of political advertising in Australia is examined in the context of compatibility with democratic ideals. Lastly, political advertisements featured by the Australian Labor Party and Liberal Party of Australia towards the 2022 federal elections are examined through quantitative content analysis.
TopIntroduction
Political advertising has become an inherent component of political processes and the advertisement industry, especially in countries where competitive elections take place. Its role in the political process made an increasingly significant ground in parallel with the widening of the electorate base (political market), the augmentation in the need of political actors to convince the voters, and the development of the means of communication. This trend has also brought along a tendency of professionalization for both political agents and the media/advertisement industry. The professionalization trend manifests itself in various aspects such as an increase in the number of surveys and marketing companies specialized in political matters, and expanding funds of political parties for advertising expenses. Today it presents a quite complicated phenomenon that remains to evolve by introducing new partners and communication techniques.
The leading reason that causes this complexity is its connection with politics because the outcome of the exchange originating from political advertising has serious consequences in terms of the political functioning of the states. Legislative regulations, for instance, in this advertising sector is subject to special consideration, some of which can be pretty contentious such as the 'truth in political advertising. In parallel, political advertising is contextual with the states' political structure and political culture. In this chapter, the Commonwealth of Australia, which represents a fertile case to observe the dynamics of political advertising in consolidated democracies, will be examined.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Government Advertising: Publicly funded ads that are used by governments to inform the public about new initiatives, policies, or programs. They help to advise people on how they might benefit or be affected by or what they need to do to comply with new requirements.
Negative Advertising: A political advertising form that serves as an attack on an opponent's personality, record, or opinion.
Third-Party Groups: A definition that refers to actors operating in the political arena, except political parties and candidates. These actors can be non-governmental organizations, business and labor unions, individuals, and companies.
Flip-Flop Advertisement: An advertisement style which is used to show politicians in opposing parties inconsistent and contradicting themselves.