Will the billion-dollar ad for the US presidential election work?

The Democratic National Committee rented a billboard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criticizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on September 9.

AFP today, September 16, quoted information from advertising analysis firm MediaRadar CMAG, estimating that about 1.2 billion USD will be spent on the race to the White House this year.

The figure represents just a fraction of the $12 billion in advertising spending on the U.S. congressional and other races that will be decided on November 5.

The $12 billion figure is also three times higher than the 2016 election. However, the trend of increasing spending on political advertising has been going on for a long time, not just this year.

"The biggest change happened when Barack Obama ran for president in 2008," AFP quoted Mike Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which specializes in political advertising research.

Before 2008, presidential candidates typically used government-provided funds to run their campaigns subject to strict spending limits.

However, Mr. Obama realized that he could raise much more money through the opportunities provided by the internet.

"The Internet makes it incredibly easy to donate money to political candidates," compared to 20 or 30 years ago, according to Emory University professor Zachary Peskowitz.

Then, in 2010, the Supreme Court lifted spending limits on nonpartisan organizations. This paved the way for the emergence of “super PACs,” which can raise hundreds of millions of dollars for candidates and thus boost political advertising.

Still, Mr. Franz notes that political scientists are always curious about the extent of the impact of such advertising spending.

"Because the campaigns in key battleground states are so close, the spending (on advertising) probably has some impact, but no one really knows how much impact (on voters)," said Mr. Franz.

“I think the best bet is to just spend as much money as you can,” Franz said, and the result has been a bipartisan political advertising race.

It is worth noting that although Mr. Obama revolutionized online fundraising, television stations still attract the majority of advertising dollars, accounting for more than half of the total budget spent on this activity.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quang-cao-ti-usd-cho-bau-cu-tong-thong-my-lieu-co-tac-dung-185240916084939061.htm