Facebook and Google introduced political ad libraries following the 2016 elections. These platforms created the libraries to address concerns about the content and impact of online political advertising. The goal was to increase transparency in digital political campaigns.
While initially designed for public oversight, these libraries have become valuable tools for competitive research. Campaign teams, analysts, and researchers now use them to study advertising strategies, test messaging, and monitor spending across the political landscape. This unexpected development has made ad libraries an important resource for understanding modern political campaigns in the digital space.
This article explores how to access, use, and interpret the political ad libraries for these platforms.
Accessing Political Ad Libraries
Facebook and Google have made their political ad libraries publicly available online. To access Facebook’s Ad Library, visit www.facebook.com/ads/library. Note that you must be logged into a Facebook account to use this tool. Once there, you can search for ads related to social issues, elections, or politics across Facebook and Instagram.
Google’s Political Advertising Transparency Report is accessible at transparencyreport.google.com/political-ads. No login is required for Google’s tool. Both platforms allow users to search by keywords, advertisers, or regions.
What’s Included
These libraries provide detailed information about ad spending, impressions, and targeting, offering valuable insights into digital political advertising strategies. For each ad, users can typically view:
- Ad content: The actual text, images, or videos used in the ad.
- Run dates: When the ad was active on the platform.
- Spending data: Ranges of how much was spent on the ad.
- Impression data: Estimates of how many times the ad was viewed.
- Demographic information: Age ranges and genders of people who saw the ad.
- Geographic data: Locations where the ad was shown.
- Disclaimer information: Details about who paid for the ad.
This wealth of information allows for in-depth analysis of political advertising trends and strategies across different campaigns and issues.
How To Use Political Ad Library Information
Campaigners can derive valuable insights from this data, including,
- Monitor messaging: Track how allies and opponents are framing key issues. Identify which topics they’re emphasizing and how their messaging evolves over time.
- Analyze spending patterns: Observe how much money campaigns are investing in digital advertising. Note any shifts in spending that might indicate changing priorities or strategies.
- Study targeting strategies: Examine which geographic areas and demographics campaigns are focusing on. This can reveal their electoral strategy and priority voter groups.
- Benchmark performance: Compare your campaign’s digital presence and strategy against others in the field.
Conclusion
Keeping tabs on your competition is an essential part of politics. In digital campaigning, your competition also includes other campaigns, even within your own party. Look to bigger campaigns for hints about what’s working for them in terms of advertising.
Chances are if they’re spending heavily on a message or tactic, it’s working for them and it’s worth trying out on your campaign.
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