General Election Ad Spending Has Topped $50M
Television ad spending has exceeded $50M in the first two months of the general election campaign, according to a report issued today by the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project.
Barack Obama and John McCain have aired more TV spots in more markets than their counterparts did during the 2004 campaign. From June 3, the end of the primary contest, to July 26, Obama and McCain have aired more than 100K ads on broadcast TV, compared with 77K aired over the same period in 2004.
McCain's camp has spent more than $21M on TV ads since June 3, while his Dem rival has sunk more than $27M into spots. The Republican National Committee has bolstered McCain's advertising effort, spending $3.6M to air 6,005 spots over the last two months. The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, has yet to air a single presidential election ad.
Obama aired 9K more spots than the presumptive GOP nom, 55,312 to 46,563. But add the RNC's buy to the mix and the margin between the candidates drops to 2,744 ads.
Other interesting items in the report:
-- Obama is airing ads in 37 markets where McCain has not aired a single spot;
-- Although FL was the pivotal state in the 2000 contest and remains a critical battleground for both candidates, McCain has not aired an ad there since June 3, while Obama has aired more than 7K ads in the Sunshine State;
-- In addition to FL, Obama is airing ads exclusively in GA, NC, IN, MT and AK, states that neither Al Gore in 2000 nor John Kerry in 2004 won;
-- With all the talk about the candidates' potential abilities to expand their electoral playing fields, the noms are making their greatest investment in traditional Midwest/Rust Belt battlegrounds: OH, MI and PA;
-- PA leads the pack with $10.3M in total campaign ad spending, followed by OH ($6.4M), MI ($6M), FL ($5M), VA ($4.4) and WI ($3.2M); and
-- The top 20 media markets in order are Philly, Detroit, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, Harrisburg, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Denver, Madison, Columbus (OH), Lansing, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Albuquerque, Toledo, Youngstown, Reno and Wilkes Barre.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
