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 , 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.

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.

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