ABOUT

Challenge
Somehow, political advertising is currently free to make wild and unsubstantiated claims.

This is because shockingly, unlike consumer advertising, campaign material in the UK isn’t regulated. There’s nowhere to complain to if you come across a dishonest political ad. And with no regulator or body responsible, nobody has the power to remove political advertising that is misleading. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica crisis and Boris’ infamous NHS bus claims, it’s clear that reform is needed.

A new non-partisan group titled The Coalition For Reform In Political Advertising has been formed to tackle this growing problem. Ultimately, the coalition aims to call on parliament to implement a four-point plan to improve the transparency around political ads.

But for there to be change, we need the political parties to agree to it. And the only way that is going to happen is by showing them that the public demands it.

Solution
We needed to distill this complex topic into a clear articulation that could help rally a groundswell of support and provoke reaction.

Our ‘It’s time to separate the real from the make believe’ campaign juxtaposes the expected language of political campaigning, with the flighty, twee language often found in fairytales.

Using key political figures has helped us to generate publicity and ensure our message reaches as wide an audience as possible.

Activity
Digital out of home has been used as an impactful way to reach a wide audience at key locations. While a whole suite of social assets ensures we can continue to start conversations and reach those most likely to support our campaign.

Results
The campaign has quickly garnered support from industry leaders including the ISBA director general Phil Smith, who’s said: "ISBA supports the Coalition for Reform in Political Advertising’s four-point plan and agrees there is urgency for there to be agreement in how political advertising should be more closely regulated ahead of any potential upcoming electoral processes,”

The petition has quickly reached its initial target, and continues to generate shock from those previously unaware of the scale of the issue.

Next step, pushing these regulations through Parliament...