What Does Obama Re-Election Mean for Ad Industry?

What do the results of the 2012 elections actually mean for adland?

The tax deduction for advertising costs could be revisited. While President Barack Obama didn't bring it up during his first term, it's just the sort of tax loophole that was mentioned by both candidates during the debates. Online privacy is another area of concern. William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association, is certain that a second Obama term would result in stricter controls on gathering personal information on the internet. "If President Obama is re-elected, regulations on what advertisers can collect from websites will be severely restricted," he said. During his first term, Obama's administration made a number of moves toward restricting marketing aimed at children, especially in regard to food marketing. Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said she hopes a soon-to-be-released FTC study on the impact of self-regulation by the food and soft-drink industry will revive the debate. "If Obama is re-elected, there could be a second push," she said.