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Political Advertising in
Newspapers
Phillip Brame
October 18, 2007
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 527’s (swift boat vets, moveon.org, etc)
now place much more emphasis on advertising in television and the
internet.
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
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.
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 it’s 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, isn’t 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/
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 area’s one or two local radio stations. NAA also promotes the
newspaper’s 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
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
it’s multi-paragraph diatribe against
Petraues and President Bush. Such a
lengthy position could not be articulated
in a television or radio commercial spot.
sources
•
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/opinion/23pubed.html?_r=3&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&loc=intersti
tialskip&oref=slogin
•
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/07/26/newspaper_political_ads_make_comeback.html
•
http://www.gaebler.com/Newspaper-Advertising-Costs.htm
•
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118541344062578440-uWRhqhe1P4Jta61Sv_ML7RdpkQg_20070824.html
•
http://web.naa.org/political/