Study: Obama Tops McCain On Ad Spending
Campaigns spent more than $28 million Sept 28- Oct. 4. Nearly 100% of McCain ads were negative, compared to 34% of Obama ads.
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/8/2008 7:26:00 PM EDT
The campaigns of Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) spent more than $28 million on TV advertising between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, with Obama spending the lion's share at $17.5 million to McCain's $11 million.
That is according to The University of Wisconsin Advertising Project, which uses TNS Media Intelligence data to track campaign spending.
And while Nielsen reported last week that as of early September, the campaigns were running about the same number of attack ads, the project found that for the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4, almost 100% of the McCain ads were negative, while only 34% of Obama's were.
That $28 million total for the week is almost double the $15.5 million the campaigns spent on TV ads collectively in the first week of September (6-13).
Over half that money went to Midwest battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Ohio was the biggest beneficiary of TV Ad dollars, with Obama spending $2.218 million and McCain $1.72 million, according to the project, with Pennsylvania close behind (See chart below).
There have been relatively few ads from outside groups like the nonprofit 527's that were the target of much criticism in the 2004 election, according to the report. "Group ads still represent the dog that's not barking," said Advertising Project Director Ken Goldstein in the report.
Following is a breakdown of TV ad spending by state for Sept. 28-Oct. 4:
State McCain Obama
Colorado $801,000 $980,000
Florida $659,000 $2,213,000
Indiana $179,000 $614,000
Iowa $227,000 $172,000
Michigan $1,250,000 $1,590,000
Minnesota $608,000 $121,000
Missouri $193,000 $492,000
North Carolina $148,000 $1,236,000
New Hampshire $160,000 $354,000
New Mexico $144,000 $185,000
Nevada $329,000 $616,000
Ohio $1,727,000 $2,218,000
Pennsylvania $1,645,000 $2,202,000
Virginia $547,000 $2,057,000
Wisconsin $896,000 $1,189,000
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