The campaign includes the launch of Question of the Day, a creative public education effort encouraging people to think critically about the information they see, hear and share.
The underlying idea is to help Australians build everyday resilience against misinformation and disinformation.
The campaign also includes a set of ‘democracy cards’, each posing a question such as,“Is false info always a bad thing?” or “What’s the wildest thing you heard on social media that turned out to be false?” Those assets are shared across MoAD’s digital and social channels.
Icon and MoAD have made it clear that the campaign isn’t affiliated with any particular guatemala telemarketing database political party, ideological goals or agenda-setting. Instead, it encourages Australians to think critically when it comes to the news and information they consume.
“This isn’t about pointing fingers,
it’s about creating space for curiosity and connection,” Icon executive director of creative and campaigns Georgina Rees says. “The cards are designed to welcome all Australians into the conversation – no background in politics required.”
Over the course of the campaign’s creation, Icon consulted with influential political commentator Konrad Benjamin, aka Punters Politics, who brainstormed on some of the campaign’s key concepts and content.
According to recent research released by independent public policy think tank The Australia Institute, the declining influence of traditional media is becoming increasingly evident.
The 2025 and 2022 federal elections were the only ones in the past 30 years to have been won by a party without the endorsements of most major newspapers.
This year’s televised leaders’ debates reached
12 percent of voters, at best. The first leaders’ debate, conducted behind a paywall on Sky News, was seen by, at best, two percent of voters.
After decades of championing the winner, the majority of newspapers endorsed the losing party in 2022 and 2025.
Neither News Corp nor Nine regularly reach more than 20 percent of voters in Victoria, a crucial state in the recent election.
Parties no longer need legacy media’s endorsements to win. The result of the 2025 federal election was proof that the influence of major media companies over voter opinion has declined.
MoAD and Icon’s campaign is aimed at helping Australians think more independently with regards to the sources they turn to to inform them on various matters of public importance, including politics.
“Democracy isn’t just about elections, it’s
how we listen, question and interact with each other every day,” MoAD head of digital Anna O’Leary says. “This campaign encourages people to be active, thoughtful participants in that process.”The internet advertising market in Australia grew 11.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, reaching $4.2 billion.
For the quarter ended March 2025, the local market experienced a softer than usual seasonal decline in spend from the December quarter at -1.8 percent in 2025 versus -4.2 percent in 2024.
The data was revealed in the IAB Australia Internet Advertising Revenue Report (IARR) released earlier this week.
“The Australian digital advertising market again saw double-digit growth year-on-year in the March quarter, with strong increases in video, search, social and audio,” IAB Australia’s chief executive officer Gai Le Roy said.
“While we are seeing solid topline growth, there is still some nervousness in the market around long-term planning and brand investment, which should be tempered by any future interest rate cuts in coming months.”
Internet advertising focus areas
Advertising spend growth this quarter was mainly fuelled by video advertising, which was up 23.3 percent year-on-year to reach $1.165 billion. It now represents 28 percent of investment dollars.
Search revenue meanwhile increased 10 percent year-on-year to reach $1.896 billion, while Classified listing revenue increased 7.8 percent to reach $660 million, driven by the real estate category.
Social media, which has revenue allocated within both video and display, held a 17 percent share of the market.
Audio saw a 18 percent year-on-year increase to reach $77.3 million, while display advertising (excluding video) contracted 0.9 percent to land at $461 million.
Retail and auto remained the top two display advertiser investment categories at 17.1 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, though their share declined marginally year-on-year.
Desktop advertising surged in its share of content publishers and local broadcasters’ video inventory expenditure this quarter, increasing from 32 percent in the December quarter to 42 percent of investment in the March quarter. However, CTV investment remains the largest component with a 46 percent market share.