Political Advertising in Newspapers

1
Political Advertising in Newspapers

• Phillip Brame
• October 18, 2007

2
A Declining Forum?

• Despite a history as the main form of political
  communication in America, the newspaper has
  declined in relevance in the current political
  atmosphere. Today, the average political
  campaign on the state and national level spends
  around 5 of their advertising money on
  newspapers.
• Newer forms of mass communication (radio,
  television, internet) have encroached upon the
  amount of advertising done in newspapers today.
• Advertising by non-partisan groups in newspapers
  has also declined in recent years, and most 527s
  (swift boat vets, moveon.org, etc) now place much
  more emphasis on advertising in television and
  the internet.

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Costs of a Newspaper Ad

• The problem with advertising heavily in a
  newspaper is a question of the balance between
  cost and audience. The chart to the right shows
  the cost of various full and half page ads in the
  national edition of the Wall Street Journal.
  Keep in mind, these costs are for one ad on one
  day. Other forms of advertising in other mediums
  are often cheaper and are perceived to reach a
  larger audience than the circulation of a
  newspaper.

Black and White Color
Full Page 164,000 210,300
Half Page 96,900 137,600
4
Return to Prominence

• As the airways of television and the web pages
  of the internet have become increasingly
  congested, the newspaper has emerged again as a
  viable source of advertising for candidates.
• A recent report by Kevin Helliker in the Wall
  Street Journal claims that the newspaper has
  staged a comeback in political advertising.
  While the total cost of a political campaign has
  doubled between 2002-2006, the amount of money
  spent on advertising in newspapers has tripled.
  The reason for the increase is simple candidates
  have discovered that much of their advertising in
  television and the internet falls on deaf ears.
  The average voter turnout rate in the United
  States is around 50 of all eligible voters. A
  recent survey found that on average, 7 out of 10
  newspaper readers vote. The candidates have
  realized, that the audience of a newspaper is
  more politically aware than a television audience
  and their dollars are better spent on a more
  aware audience.

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Tempered Resurgence

• While the newspaper will probably never replace
  the television or the internet as the leading
  forms of political communication, politicians
  have certainly realized its importance. The
  arguments made in a newspaper ad are often much
  more sophisticated than a television ad. After
  all, there is no 30 second limit on the time a
  reader can give to a newspaper add.
• Newspaper ads are often characterized by striking
  visual images, and large and attention grabbing
  print. The reader, more than likely, isnt
  reading a newspaper for the ads. Therefore, the
  ad must do something to draw the attention of the
  reader to itself.
• http//web.naa.org/political/

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Why Newspapers?

• According to the Newspaper Association of America
  (NAA), the newspaper holds particular advantage
  for the local candidate rather than a statewide
  or national candidate. The costs of television
  advertising are impractical, especially if the
  race is in a rural area where television
  advertising is nonexistent and radio advertising
  is often limited to the areas one or two local
  radio stations. NAA also promotes the
  newspapers ability to sway undecided voters and
  reminds the candidates that the newspaper is
  considered the most credible form of advertising.
  Simply put, a person trusts a newspaper more
  than the radio, the internet, or television.
• NAA PDF

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General Betray US
A recent newspaper ad in the New York Times by
the group moveon.org drew national headlines
when it attacked General David Petraeus for his
position on the progress in the Iraq war and his
opposition to an immediate withdrawal of American
troops. Moveon.org drew further criticism when
it became known the group paid only 65,000 for
the ad in the NY Times that normally costs
142,000. The NY Times has since acknowledged
the mistake of providing special treatment for
Moveon.org The ad is a perfect example of what
can be accomplished in a newspaper ad with its
multi-paragraph diatribe against Petraues and
President Bush. Such a lengthy position could
not be articulated in a television or radio
commercial spot.
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sources

• http//www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/opinion/23pubed.
  html?_r3refopinionorefsloginorefsloginloc
  interstitialskiporefslogin
• http//politicalwire.com/archives/2007/07/26/newsp
  aper_political_ads_make_comeback.html
• http//www.gaebler.com/Newspaper-Advertising-Costs
  .htm
• http//online.wsj.com/public/article/SB11854134406
  2578440-uWRhqhe1P4Jta61Sv_ML7RdpkQg_20070824.html
• http//web.naa.org/political/