Political Ad Spending
So the presidential election is approaching, and the hopefuls have already begun firing away with an overabundance of television ads aimed at swaying the general public in a particular direction. As nationwide state-level caucuses and primaries ensue, this five-month battle will continue to roar as we head towards the Democratic and Republican conventions. So yes, big ad spending will only get bigger, especially with the rise of independent groups exercising their splurging prowess. As a result, political analysts left and right are expecting this year’s political TV ad spending to total $3 billion. Now ask yourself: will this oversaturation of ads be beneficial or will it come with substantial downsides?
I get it. The January primary is heating up, so the claws—or should I say the checks—are coming out, and presidential hopefuls are ready to pay a hefty price to knock out their competition. According to Kantar’s Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), as early as January 9th, residents of South Carolina had already seen more than 5,500 presidential ads, some of which were negative ads directed towards other Republican candidates or President Obama. This leaves me to ponder: what audience are they trying to target for these campaigns? And are they succeeding?
Spending too early can result in wasted ad space, considering certain viewers are not even aware or expecting ads to run right now. I would be more inclined to pay close attention to the views, opinions and policies coming from ads as the election draws near. And campaigns that crank out too many ads at a time leave me confounded beyond belief as I mesh through all the different stances being thrown my way. This is why politicians, their campaign strategists and their super PACs should really consider who their messages are intended for—especially the negative ads.
Negative ads can also have an adverse effect on the campaign running them, being that there are independent, undecided or moderate voters looking to make a more informed decision. These individuals typically look for facts, policies and a true stance—not for partisanship.
To ensure their ads are effective in reaching the masses, let’s take a look at some options the candidates can consider when aiming their ads at us.
Point 1: To avoid missed opportunities and to prevent your ad from getting caught in the shuffle, stick to a specific theme/approach (positive I would hope) and repurpose it with additional language that gauges shifts in public opinion on what’s important to us.
Point 2: If you are going to draw a sharp contrast between yourself and another candidate, point out the facts only, and leave the rumor mill tactic for the playground. Eliminate the use of edited clips that are taken out of context or offensive remarks that insult people’s religion, ethnicity and/or social class.
Point 3: To stand out with authenticity, candidates and their super PACs should infiltrate the markets with their big spending by offering solutions to local issues that are plaguing residents in that specific community, city and/or state. This attaches a more personal and relevant appeal to your ad and the overall campaign.
As the race to the Republican and Democratic conventions continues, we will see commendable speeches, notable slogans, inspiring actions and surely a bombardment of ads. Just keep your eye on the ones that you feel totally miss the mark in terms of beefing up support. One bad ad can lean that needle in the non-favorable direction, causing a candidate’s polling numbers to diminish.
How do you think ad spending will affect the primaries and the outcome of the presidential election?
-Michelle Nash
