Pennsylvania Voters Tuned In, Turned Off; Candidate TV Ads Reach Saturation Point

[DeepModem Mom]

WSJ: Voters: Tuned In, Turned Off
As Candidates' TV Ads Reach Saturation Point, Viewers Express Exasperation
By CLARE ANSBERRY and SUZANNE VRANICA
April 22, 2008; Page A19

PITTSBURGH -- At what point do campaign advertisements become counterproductive? As Pennsylvanians finally vote, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama might have provided an answer.

In one week alone, each candidate unveiled five different television ads. With spending estimated at $20 million state-wide, this battle of primary ads is expected to be one of the biggest ever.

On an average day in the state's capital, Harrisburg, 228 television ads ran, according to Campaign Media Analysis Group, a research company owned by TNS Media Intelligence. The candidates ran ads on "Oprah" in the mornings, "Days of Our Lives" in the afternoon and "American Idol" in the evening. Each left a mark on "Without a Trace." There was little escape; 94% of registered Democrats had seen a TV ad for Sen. Obama, and 88% had seen an ad for Sen. Clinton.

For the past six weeks, seemingly every time Cathy Walbert flipped on the TV to watch her favorite judge show, either Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton appeared instead. Ms. Walbert's husband, Allen, counted three appearances by each candidates within an hour on one channel alone. The Walberts, both Democrats, are vitally interested in Tuesday's outcome, but they will be happy to bid adieu to ad overload.

"It's enough to drive you crazy," Ms. Walbert said.

***

Campaign Media Analysis puts total spending on TV ads at about $20 million by the end of Tuesday's voting. Combined the two candidates spent $16 million on ads in Texas and $8 million on ads in Ohio. Those figures don't include spending on local cable TV, radio or print ads. Nor does it include the Internet, Web sites and email....

The real risk to both candidates is people losing interest in the election itself, said David W. Stewart, professor of marketing at the University of California Riverside, who has published a number of papers on ad burnout. "People will tune out the advertising" and in some cases, the ads can "irritate people enough that don't go to the polls because they are disgusted with the whole process."...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120882873447033475.html

[dkf]

1. I wondered about this.

Sometimes its overkill...just like when you get 6 calls a day from the same candidate. I wonder why they don't get it.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. One guy quoted says they know --

"They are aware they are overdoing it, but (they) think it's the way to win," said Will Feltus of National Media in Alexandria, Va., who worked on ad campaigns for both President Bushes and Mitt Romney. Whoever loses, he added, doesn't want to be second-guessed and have people saying, "'The reason we lost was because we were outspent.'"

[Sal Minella]

2. Seems to me the candidates could/would/should have recognized this phenomenon.

The super-saturation of robocalls in Iowa before the caucus drove me to distraction (since I have neither Caller ID nor answering machine). If I had been undecided, the relentless bombardment of robocalls would have turned me against that candidate.