When I began my vacation two weeks ago, this was a blip on the radar screen of local political blogs here in Florida. When I returned to my desk yesterday, I found that it had exploded into a national story which has thrust Florida to the forefront of a growing debate over the legality of pay-per-click advertising by political campaigns on Google and Facebook. ClickZ and TechPresident have both focused on the story as has the Wall Street Journal:
Here's a local news report on this story with interviews with the Wagman campaign:
An online twist in a hotly contested race for mayor of St. Petersburg, Fla., could signal trouble for local politicians advertising on popular Web sites like Google, Facebook and Twitter.While I am not a lawyer and won't comment on the legal issues surrounding this case, this is something I believe all political communications professionals should keep their eye on as the implications on online advertising for political campaigns are potentially significant. Stay tuned for more...
The Florida Elections Commission has decided a mayoral candidate's ads on Google and Facebook appear to violate the state's election law because they don't include a disclaimer that indicates who bought them. Many other states, including Texas, Alaska, Connecticut and Ohio, also require similar disclaimers.
The candidate's campaign, however, argues that the messages in question aren't technically ads, but rather links to ads, and that it doesn't pay for them unless a Web user clicks on them. When that happens, it says, the person is taken to a Web site that provides the appropriate disclosures.
...analysts say online ads could become a more crucial part of political campaigns, and the Florida dispute is likely to set a precedent for how state and local politicians advertise on the Web.
Click here to read the entire piece from the Wall Street Journal
Here's a local news report on this story with interviews with the Wagman campaign:
