Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Digital Ad Spend for Obama and Romney

ClickZ reports that the Obama campaign has outspent Romney on digital ads since the start of their online campaigns in Spring 2011. Through May 2012, Obama for America has spent $26.9 million on digital ads, including text messages. This is 3.5 times higher than Romney's $7.6 million spend.

Digital ads account for about a quarter of Obama's TV ad spend, and Romney has spent a comparable percentage. Looking at overall media spend including traditional media, digital media may account for 10 to 15 percent of the total campaign budgets for both Obama and Romney. This is an incredible percentage that would have been unheard of a decade ago. This is a great example of the rising popularity of digital ads that even the presidential candidates cannot afford to ignore. It's a testament to the ability to target specific messages to online audiences with a level of precision that isn't possible with TV or other traditional media channels.

The article reports that both campaigns appear to be using digital ads to build their contact lists and generate donations. Both campaigns are using Facebook ads to reach audiences. However, the Obama campaign seems to be using more specific targeting and messaging than Romney, including advertising the Supreme Court ruling that upheld Obama's healthcare reform. It's interesting to consider how targeting online messaging could help to make or break the success of the presidential campaign. Will the increased spending and targeted messages give Obama an edge over Romney? Obviously digital spend will not be the only factor that contributes to a victory, but both campaigns would not be spending so much in digital if they didn't think it would help.


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