GOP Groups Spend More Than $1 Million on Super Bowl TV Spots

[cinyc]

GOP Groups Spend More Than $1 Million on Super Bowl TV Spots
AdvertisingAge/Kate Kaye

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As I've said before, much of New Hampshire is in the Boston TV market, so advertising on WBZ is designed to reach New Hampshire.

Spending $300,000 for one political ad is a lot.  Most SuperPACs aren't spending that much for ads on one Boston TV station for a whole week.  But the Super Bowl is guaranteed to get the most eyeballs, so it may be cost-effective to advertise there.

Note also how much cheaper the actual Rubio campaign's Super Bowl Ads on WCSC Charleston are compared to the PACs.

[Mike Thick]

Ah, nice. I wish we got more campaign ads over here in California.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I'm slightly surprised at no ads for the Augusta, Savannah, or Charlotte markets.  Each covers a significant chunk of South Carolina Republican voters.  Certainly would seem to be cheaper and more effective than a $300K Boston market ad.

[cinyc]

I'm slightly surprised at no ads for the Augusta, Savannah, or Charlotte markets.  Each covers a significant chunk of South Carolina Republican voters.  Certainly would seem to be cheaper and more effective than a $300K Boston market ad.

Cheaper?  Yes.  More effective?  Perhaps not.  The establishment candidates need to do well in New Hampshire to fight on in South Carolina.  Especially Bush.

I'm more surprised that the Cruz PAC isn't on-air in Spartanburg.  Upstate is where Cruz really needs to clean up to win the state.

Edited to add: I checked the ad buys for the CBS stations in the South Carolina fringe markets.  Ad Age didn't check them. 

-The Rubio campaign itself is buying 1 Super Bowl ad in Augusta, GA for $12,500.  In fact, only Rubio is listed as advertising at all on Augusta's CBS affiliate - no PACs are even on air there yet.   
-In Savannah, Rubio is spending $6,000 for 1 Super Bowl ad.  Bush's Right to Rise is countering with a $30,000 ad of their own.
-Nobody is up on CBS in Charlotte.

[cinyc]

In the other New Hampshire markets:

-Best I can tell, nobody bought anything Super Bowl-related in Portland, ME.  The closest thing to a Super Bowl related buy was Rubio's Conservative Solutions PAC buying an ad on Colbert after the Super Bowl for $2,500.

In Burlington:
-Rubio's Conservative Solutions PAC bought two Super Bowl ads in Burlington, VT at $18,000 a pop x2.  They also bought a $3,200 ad during the pre-game.
-The Trump campaign bought 2 very early pre-game ads at $300 a piece, a closer-in 4-5PM pregame ad at $3,000, and an ad during the post-game at $5,000.
-Bush's Right to Rise PAC and the Kasich campaign tried to buy ads during the programs that would otherwise air during the Super Bowl at a much lower rate.  That won't be honored.  It's unclear if they are now going to buy the Super Bowl.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Edited to add: I checked the ad buys for the CBS stations in the South Carolina fringe markets.  Ad Age didn't check them. 

I'm surprised Ad Age didn't check them, especially the Augusta station since their studio and transmitter are both on the South Carolina side of the river.

[cinyc]

I'm surprised Ad Age didn't check them, especially the Augusta station since their studio and transmitter are both on the South Carolina side of the river.

Even the candidates sometimes forget or deliberately ignore the fringe markets.  Of the Republican candidates, Rubio's campaign seems to be most on the ball when it comes to TV advertising, but they didn't even bother much in the tiny Ottumwa-Kirksville market in Iowa, for example.  Only Trump and Cruz did - and Cruz was late to the game.

Ad Age didn't report on Democratic buys.  I, too, haven't checked the Democratic side in most markets, but I see that Bernie Sanders is buying a few ads on the pre-game show in Burlington and Clinton tried to buy on this Sunday's 60 Minutes there, like Kasich, which won't air this Sunday.

Note that this article was from February 1.  It's possible that more Super Bowl ad buys have been made since then, too.

[cinyc]

Cruz SuperPAC Keep the Promise bought a Super Bowl ad in Augusta for $12,500 and a pregame ad for $4250.  Keep the Promise also bought 2 $33,750 Super Bowl ads on Spartanburg's WSPA, so Cruz will have a Super Bowl presence Upstate, too.

The Super PACs are starting to advertise next week on Augusta's CBS affiliate, WRDW.  Rubio's Conservative Solutions PAC also bought time starting next week.