Clinton Seeks to Regroup in Ad Wars

CLINTON SEEKS TO REGROUP IN AD WARS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Aaron Rutkoff aaron.rutkoff@wsj.com]
The lopsided advertising battle between Sens Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) is entering a critical, potentially final stretch. After several months of trailing Sen Obama in ad spending and in targeting new markets, Sen Clinton needs a victory on the ad front as she attempts to reverse a slide in her efforts to win the Democratic nomination. She is facing a costly three-week battle to woo voters in Texas and Ohio -- two states with diffuse, expensive media markets -- ahead of their March 4 primaries. In recent weeks the Obama team has used its growing financial advantage to hit the airwaves in new states faster and more broadly than the Clinton campaign. Now the Clinton operation is attempting to shift the momentum, unleashing its first negative spot this week. But the fight ahead, which could rival advertising expenditures in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, could test the campaign's limited finances. Evan Tracey, a campaign-media analyst at TNS Media Intelligence, estimates Sen Obama has spent around $36 million on TV ads, while Mrs. Clinton has spent just less than $30 million. The disparity has become more evident in the past two weeks, when the Obama team has outspent its rival by more than $5 million. Neither campaign would comment on their ad spending.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120304098799670537.html?mod=todays_us_page_one
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