Political Ads State a Comeback in Newspapers (Excerpts from an article
in the Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2007; Page B1) By Kevin Helliker
Political consultant Cathy Allen isn’t yet certain which issues
will define the 2008 elections. But she’s already decided that
the campaigns she manages will make heavy use of an old-fashioned
advertising vehicle: newspapers.
“
Newspapers are back,” says Ms. Allen, a Democratic political
consultant in Seattle who manages mostly local and statewide campaigns
in the Northwest. Of the quarter-million dollars in spending that
she directed on behalf of 34 candidates in 2006, newspapers received
a larger share than television, she says.
At a time when many categories of newspaper advertising are declining,
the political message is making a comeback. As overall spending on
campaigns doubled to $3.1 billion between 2002 and 2006, the amount
spent on newspapers, including their online editions, tripled to
104 million, according to PQ Media. The rate of growth appears to
be highest for races for local posts, such as mayor and state legislator,
because newspapers boast greater penetration and influence in small-to
medium-size markets.
…
A growing number of political consultants say newspapers can offer
distinct advantages over television and other media. “Recognition
is growing that newspapers are highly effective and highly cost-effective,” says
Jordan Lieberman, publisher of Campaigns & Elections magazine,
which conducts seminars for candidates, consultants and other political
professionals.
Newspaper readers vote at above-average rates. Even amid circulation
declines, newspapers in many markets reach an audience that is competitive
with any single broadcast channel, a strength that online editions
are bolstering. Online editions also are reaching a demographic group
that their print editions have been losing -- the young reader. Online
newspaper ads “are reaching people under the age of 40 -- and,
by definition, people attracted to news are good voters,” says
Ms. Allen, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Association
of Political Consultants.
Newspapers also allow for more sophisticated arguments than are delivered
in the typical 30-second television campaign. In a 2004 race for the junior
Senate seat in Alaska, Republican incumbent Lisa Murkowski was battling it
out with her Democratic opponent, each claiming in television spots to be the
better candidate. Then Republican consultant Arthur Hackney ran a series of
independently funded newspaper advertisements making a more-complex argument:
Voting for Ms. Murkowksi, the ads suggested, would help Republicans maintain
control of the U.S. Senate – thereby preserving the immense power of
Alaska’s other senator, Ten Stevens. As those newspaper ads played out,
Ms. Murkowski – who was appointed to the Senate in 2002 but hadn’t
been elected to it – zoomed past her rival to win the election.
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