Key features of political advertising as an independent type of advertising communication

To obtain the most complete understanding of the features of political advertising, the author characterizes its specific features allocated by modern researchers. The problem of defining the notion of political advertising is studied in detail. The analysis of definitions available in professional literature has allowed the author to identify a number of key features that characterize political advertising as an independent type of promotional activity. These features include belonging to the forms of mass communication, implemented through different communication channels; the presence of characteristics typical of any advertising as a form of mass communication (strategies and concepts promoting the program, ideas); an integrated approach to the selection of communication channels, means and the methods of informing the addressers that focus on the audience; the formation of psychological attitude to voting; the image nature; the manipulative potential. It is shown that the influence is the primary function of political advertising - it determines the key characteristics common to this type of advertising. Political advertising, reflecting the essence of the political platform of certain political forces, setting up voters for their support, forming and introducing into the mass consciousness a definite idea of the character of these political forces, creates the desired psychological attitude to the voting. The analysis of definitions available in professional literature has allowed the author to formulate an operational definition of political advertising, which allowed to include the features that distinguish political advertising from other forms of political communication such as political PR which is traditionally mixed with political advertising.