Political Ad Tracker: Hours From The End, What Are Marketer Takeaways?

[Commentary] Thankfully, we’re just hours away from surviving the loudest, longest and most media-saturated segment of the entire campaign season. Single debate references have fueled new media plans before, but perhaps not quite as extensive a shift as “binders full of women” in particular.

Ad placement became prevalent on cable networks to address female voters overnight. HGTV, Food Network and Lifetime joined an already aggressive schedule across History Channel, FX, USA and other top-tier cable networks. Male-skewing networks that are typical election targets were freed up by this shift and were being offered as makegoods for other networks. TV saw an increased presence in daytime talk shows, soap operas and prime access to enhance the morning and news-focused areas. Even radio formats that were skewing female were utilized by Obama’s team to promote his stance on women’s rights and related issues. Other trends we have seen unfold in the last few weeks speak to each medium. Multiple Presidential, PAC-fueled, issue-related, and local candidate messages fill the airwaves. At least 70% of commercial breaks are filled with political ads. Opposing sides that are sometimes adjacent to each other and spot wear out are even more accelerated, with a single candidate appearing multiple times in one commercial pod. In addition to the obvious lesson around not over-saturating any one target or media outlet, one of the biggest takeaways from this campaign season is the need for flexibility in media plans.

[Inkrot is senior specialist, broadcast at Empower MediaMarketing]