Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Online Battle for Votes

Less than a month away from midterm elections, campaigns are finding that ad space is limited, even on the internet. Savvy media planners for political parties have been purchasing prime ad space from providers such as Google, Yahoo, and Pandora in battleground states many months ago. There is almost no YouTube inventory for reserved buys in states such as Alaska, Maine, Montana, and New Hampshire.
 
This represents a shift in thinking as online advertising matures the way that television advertising did when targeting became more sophisticated and the definition of viewer expands drastically. Political operatives are focusing on online strategy because it allows them to expand their reach and provides extensive behavioral and demographic data. Online advertising is beginning to mirror and complement television advertising, allowing parties to enforce their messages. Borrell Associates, an advertising research firm, estimates that digital spending in 2014 will surpass $270 million, compared to just $55.4 million in 2010.

Parties are also going back to digital when television ad space is limited, further increasing digital spending. As a result, the prices of ads are being bid up as demand increases closer to Election Day. Political parties are sure to apply learning from this election season to optimize their strategies going forward.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/us/campaigns-find-ad-space-finite-even-on-the-web.html?_r=0







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