money.cnn.com/2004/10/12/news/economy/election_ads -> money.cnn.com/2004/10/12/news/economy/election_ads/
White House race: Reno cashes in In the home stretch, which select cities are drawing the most ad dollars? October 12, 2004: 3:02 PM EDT By Krysten Crawford, CNN/Money staff writer NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Had enough of presidential politics yet? For weary voters who also happen to be couch potatoes, here are two optio ns: steer clear of Santa Fe, or head to Hollywood. Flush campaign coffers are fueling an advertising binge. "We're seeing an arms race," said Joel Rivlin, the deputy director of the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project, which analyzes campaign spending. The spending is notable not just for its record-breaking levels but also for what the the outlays communicate about each candidate's strategy for grabbing electoral votes. and Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM are inundated with presidential campaign ads these days. Others, like Los Angeles and Bosto n, are all but ignored. In fact, of the top 10 US media markets, only two -- Philadelphia and Detroit -- are seeing notable levels of advertis ing. There has also been, according to Rivlin, an unprecedented concentration and last-minute shifting of ad dollars as the race narrows in some marke ts and becomes a foregone conclusion in others. Where political pundits once expected as many as 20 states to be competit ive battlegrounds, ad spending shows that the field has since been cut i n half. On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Advertising Project identified 10 stat es that both campaigns now consider to be the final front. Led by Ohio and Florida, the list also includes Colorado, Michigan, Nevad a and Pennsylvania. But Missouri, Oregon and New Hampshire are among the original battleground states that -- based on their relatively low adve rtising buys -- campaign strategists no longer think will decide the ele ction. "The campaigns can bluff a good game and say a state is in play when that state really isn't in play," said Rivlin. "These advertising dollar dec isions tell us what they're really thinking." Stratospheric spending Overall, the 2004 presidential election is by far the most expensive in h istory. Already groups supporting the two candidates have shelled out in the last seven months more than $400 million to plug their picks on the airwaves, according to TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis G roup (TNSMI/cmag), which tracks political ad buys. Kerry and his supporters, which include the Democrat National Committee a nd various independent groups, is by far the biggest spender, having spe nt almost $264 million as of last week, according to TNSMI/cmag. The Bush camp, on the other hand, has spent nearly $153 million. Except for the more than $13 million spent on cable spots, the bulk of th e ad dollars from both teams has been spent in local markets. The era of the national ad had already ended by the 2000 election. What's happening three weeks before Election Day, said Rivlin, is that on e campaign is increasing its advertising in one market and the other rus hes to match or exceed the increase. "Then the other side keeps upping the ante," said Rivlin. Evan Tracey, the chief operating officer of TNSMI/cmag, expects that numb er to reach half a billion dollars come the Nov. By way of c omparison, advertising in the matchup four years ago between Bush and Al Gore came to roughly $200 million. Given that political advertising sways no more than an estimated five per cent of voters, that's a lot of money. But given how tight the race is, neither campaign is holding back. Different approaches There are some key differences in advertising strategies deployed by the Bush and Kerry camps. Bush, for example, has spent more than $11 million on cable advertising, compared to the nearly $2 million spent by Kerry, according to TNSMI/cma g While Kerry has opted for cable news channels, Bush has gone after li festyle networks like the History Channel, The Golf Channel, and The Lea rning Channel, said Tracey.
When it comes to the broadcast networks, both Bush and Kerry have stuck t o old formulas and advertised heavily on daytime talk shows, public affa irs programming, and soap operas, where rates are considerably cheaper t han at night. Tracey said voters are more likely to see pro-Bush ads on shows that have larger male audie nces, such as "Law & Order" and "America's Most Wanted." Kerry and his supporters, on the other hand, have bought spots on The WB and UPN, both of which draw younger audiences. Kerry has also cut spots that tailored to specific markets like Philadelp hia. On the other hand, "what Bush is running in Ohio, he's also running in Florida and in New Mexico," said Tracey.
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