Advocacy Advertising

Advertising used to espouse a point of view about controversial public issues. Advocacy advertising can be directed at either specific targets, or general targets, such as political activists, the media, consumer groups, government agencies, or competitors. It can be sponsored by any type of advertiser (businesses, consumer groups, special interest groups, political parties, or even individuals). An extreme example occurred in the 1960s, when a private citizen bought a two-page advertisement in the New York Times at a cost of $12,000 to offer his peace plan for ending the war in Vietnam. In 1974, Mobil Oil Company began advocacy advertising concerning the need for offshore oil drilling to alleviate the energy crisis that existed at the time. NBC accepted the television commercial, but ABC and CBS did not, because of the controversial nature of the topic. As a result, Mobil Oil Company took out full-page newspaper ads, which reproduced in print the visuals and text for the commercial.