Measuring the effect of political advertising and the case of the 1995 Irish Divorce Referendum

Reviews the political advertising literature at the start of the run‐up to the 1997 UK general election and looks at the 1995 Irish Divorce Referendum result and assesses the consequent High Court Appeal case which cast doubt on the possibility that one can measure the effectiveness of political advertising. Outlines the literature on the measurement of political advertising, analyses data from the result and posits ways in which some of these doubts in measurement could be resolved. Suggests a number of methods of measurement of available data from the Irish Divorce Referendum which indicate the effectiveness of the political communication campaign. Finally proposes a number of critical areas of research which will need further exploration if we are to be able to prove our effectiveness in political markets, “beyond reasonable doubt”.