Campaign Ads Put Emphasis On News Shows To Sway Undecided Voters

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney are on a huge spending spree targeting key states like Florida and Virginia. However, this time both the parties are focusing on news shows to air their ads and get maximum exposure on the news shows.

An ad during the broadcast of NBC’s “Today” show, yells, “Tell President Obama: Stop the spending. During a commercial break in ABC’s “The view,” another ad sings paeans to the “strong leadership” of Romney.

Both parties are pointing out each other’s perceived faults hoping that they’ll tilt the results in their favor.

So far the Obama campaign has cost them $721,000 for their advertising efforts in Virginia, with Romney a distant second at $384,000. However, an independent group, Crossroads GPS, spent $437,000 on ads deriding Obama, bringing Romney on par with Romney.

Romney was not the only one who got an independent helping hand from two of his former aides, who through their Priorities USA Action group, spent about $90,000 on ads in Virginia over this week.

It is presumed that outside campaigners may jointly spend more than the candidates themselves over the week

As a commercial break unfolds during the popular “Dateline NBC” a woman is seen agonizing about the huge national debt, for which she is holding Obama responsible. She can be heard saying, “He spent like our country’s credit card had no limit.”

Playing tit for tat, during the evening newscasts, the Obama campaign accuses Romney of having the “the worst economic record in the country during his tenure as governor of Massachusetts.

A Crossroads ads charges Obama of, “adding $4 billion in debt every day.” Romney’s one year term as Governor faces the music, with a clip showing Romney claiming, “I speak the language of business. … I know how jobs are created.” Some negative economic statistics follow on the screen and the ad taunts: “Romney economics: It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.

Ads made by Obama’s former aides reflect on Romney’s years at the private equity firm Bain Capital. It shows a woman being laid off by her company, she angrily says, “When Mitt Romney did that, he made me sick.”

Most of these ads are being aired in key states, primarily Virginia and Florida that are a close call for both Romney and Obama. It is believed that the outcome of these states could decide who the next President of the country would be.

Obama took Virginia and Florida over Republican John McCain in the last election, but is facing a tougher, more determined opponent this time.

The ads are targeting a select audience, which includes those to whom news matter and follow it closely. Those who watch news to stay informed about what is going on and what are the latest movements in the political sphere. These are the people who, ad designers believe sway and influence people around them.

“They are trying to get opinion leaders, early donors and the press to focus on certain issues or events,” says Joe Mercurio, a New York-based political media buyer.

The TV ads, remarkable for their negativity, have flooded the media markets. It seems that both sides will make their ad campaigns even more extensive and far-reaching in the ensuing months.

The campaigns will have huge budgets and expand their targeted audience from regular watchers to the elderly and the youth. Older people are more inclined to watch daytime programming, whilst the young voters, opt for late-night shows. Ads are going to be aired on both day time and late-night slots, to maximize exposure and bring these two age groups under their fold.

Their immediate target, however, are those who watch TV news the most and convince and influence others in the voting community.

As Elizabeth Wilner, vice president of Kantar Media-Campaign Media Analysis Group put it: “News programming is still a reliable place to find undecideds.”