Political advertising campaign

A political advertising campaign is an organised series of political advertisements prepared, placed, promoted, published or disseminated with a common purpose, typically to influence voting behaviour, election outcomes or legislative processes. It usually involves coordinated messages across multiple channels and platforms over a defined period, such as during an election or referendum. The campaign is normally sponsored by or on behalf of a political actor.

Legal Basis

While Regulation 2024/900 does not define "political advertising campaign" as a standalone term, it regulates political advertising, which may be organised into campaigns:

"Political advertising means the preparation, placement, promotion, publication or dissemination, by any means, of a message […] by, for or on behalf of a political actor, in return for remuneration or equivalent consideration or for self-promotion by a political actor, that is liable to influence the outcome of an election or referendum, the voting behaviour, or the legislative or regulatory process."

— Article 2(2), Regulation 2024/900

Political advertising campaigns fall under the transparency and targeting obligations set out in the regulation.

Why It Matters

Political advertising campaigns affect sponsors, providers of political advertising services, publishers and voters. When a political actor or organisation runs a campaign, every advertisement within that campaign must comply with the EU's transparency rules: each ad must be clearly labelled, include a transparency notice, and be made available for public scrutiny.

For platforms and publishers, campaigns mean handling multiple related advertisements, often across different formats (social media posts, video ads, display banners) and timelines. They must ensure each piece of content meets the same high standard of transparency and, for online campaigns using personal data for targeting, strict data protection and consent rules apply.

Campaigns are also subject to restrictions on sponsorship in the three months before an election or referendum. Only citizens of the Union, eligible third-country nationals or legal persons established and not controlled by third-country entities may sponsor political advertising campaigns during this period. Violating these rules can result in significant penalties and undermine public trust in the electoral process.

Key Points

• A political advertising campaign is a coordinated series of political ads with a common purpose, typically to influence elections or legislation
• Every advertisement in a campaign must carry clear labels, transparency notices and meet record-keeping requirements under Regulation 2024/900
• Online campaigns that use personal data for targeting or ad delivery are subject to strict conditions, including consent and prohibitions on certain sensitive data
• In the three months before an EU, national, regional or local election or referendum, only sponsors from the EU (or eligible third-country nationals) may fund campaigns
• Campaigns may span multiple platforms, formats and Member States, requiring consistent compliance across all channels
• Transparency of campaigns helps voters understand who is trying to influence them, why and how they are being targeted

Political advertising campaign vs. Single political advertisement

A single political advertisement is one message—a post, video, banner or leaflet—prepared and published once. A political advertising campaign is multiple advertisements working together over time, sharing common themes, messages or objectives. For example, a candidate posting one video on their social media page is a single ad; a series of coordinated videos, display ads, and sponsored posts across platforms over several weeks is a campaign. The regulation applies the same transparency and targeting rules to both, but campaigns require more coordination and tracking to ensure compliance for every individual ad within the campaign.

Related Terms

• Political advertising
• Political actor
• Sponsor
• Provider of political advertising services
• Publisher
• Transparency notice
• Targeting techniques
• Ad-delivery techniques
• Online political advertising
• Election or referendum