11:53 19.07.2007 | All news from "Marketing"
McCain and Romney Simplify Ads in June, Tancredo Goes on Attack
Primary candidate Mitt Romney reduced his display ad campaign to a single creative and placed ads on just one site. And even McCain, whose campaign has run a wide variety of ad creatives on several sites in recent months, pared down creatives, media placements -- and perhaps most significant -- ad impressions, in June.
McCain's online ad impressions have dwindled from 11.5 million impressions in , to 8.7 million in , to a relatively conservative 92,000 in June. Some have speculated a reduction in online advertising by the campaign is a result of the Arizona Senator's reported fundraising woes, though people running Web display ads for John McCain 2008 say otherwise.
"We're just reevaluating what we're doing," said Eric Frenchman, chief Internet strategist at political consulting agency Connell Donatelli Inc., the firm handling some Internet components of the McCain campaign. The campaign has also increased its search marketing effort, noting paid search has been effective and cost-efficient. "Summer is not exactly the best time to advertise," continued Frenchman.
Evidently, new display advertiser Tancredo 08 thought differently. The campaign ran 855,000 ads in June, all on tabloid news site Drudge Report. The only ad creative it ran focused narrowly on one timely topic -- or at least implied that one topic: immigration. Just in time for a Senate vote on a divisive immigration bill considered by many Republicans to offer amnesty for illegal immigrants, Congressman Tancredo's ad demanded, "Defeat Amnesty Politicians." The ad linked to a declaring, "Here is my message for any politician who supports an amnesty bill: I will commit myself to working for your defeat!" It's not a stretch to consider the ad and the petition a direct attack on Tancredo's primary opponent and co-sponsor of that immigration bill, Senator McCain.
McCain's campaign reduced the variety of ads it ran, specifically cutting out tiny button units, but sticking with issue-oriented creatives focusing on the War in Iraq, pork-barrel government spending and the candidate's experience.
Opposition campaign Romney for President trimmed the four ads it ran in May to one expandable PointRoll unit featuring video, along with a registration form and links to information on issues like military support and wasteful government spending. Media buys by the former Massachusetts Governor's campaign were sliced down, also, to AOL.com News exclusively.
| June 2007 Ads by John McCain 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Copy | Call to Action | Ad Sizes | Number of Impressions | Sites/Networks |
| $74 million tax dollars for peanut storage costs? That's Nuts! $100 million tax dollars for citrus assistance? Orange You Outraged? $60.4 million tax dollars for salmon fisheries? Something smells fishy. Outraged by Pork?" | "Take the survey" | 160x600 Wide Skyscraper, 300x250 Medium Rectangle, 250x250 Square | 45,000 | Google, Investors |
| "Surrender is not an option" | "Sign the Petition today" | 300x250 Medium Rectangle, 160x600 Wide Skyscraper, 728x90 Leaderboard | 26,000 | Valueclick, Google |
| "America Deserves Experience. America Deserves Straight Talk. McCain." | "Join John McCain" | 160x600 Wide Skyscraper, 300x250 Medium Rectangle | 16,000 | |
| $60.4 million tax dollars for salmon fisheries? Something smells fishy. Outraged by Pork?" | "Take the survey" | 728x90 Leaderboard | 3,000 | Investors |
| $60.4 million tax dollars for salmon fisheries? Something smells fishy. Outraged by Pork?" | "Sign the Petition" | 728x90 Leaderboard | 2,000 | Investors |
| "It's time for straight talk on spending. McCain." | "Support John McCain" | 300x250 Medium Rectangle | 1,000 | |
| Source: Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance, 2007 | ||||
| June 2007 Sites and Impressions by John McCain 08 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site/Sub-Site | Impressions | |||
| National Review | 21,000 | |||
| Washington Times: Washington, DC | 18,000 | |||
| Blog*Spot | 18,000 | |||
| FARK.com | 12,000 | |||
| Nascar Online | 4,000 | |||
| CBSNews.com | 4,000 | |||
| sing365.com | 2,000 | |||
| Investors Hub | 2,000 | |||
| OCRegister.com: Orange Country, CA | 2,000 | |||
| FrontPage Magazine | 2,000 | |||
| HowStuffWorks | 2,000 | |||
| Family Education Network | 2,000 | |||
| WWE Superstars | 1,000 | |||
| TwinCities.com: Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 1,000 | |||
| LetsSingIt.com | 1,000 | |||
| Source: Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance, 2007 | ||||
| June 2007 Ads by Romney For President | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Copy | Call to Action | Ad Sizes | Number of Impressions | Sites/Networks |
| "Mitt Romney Strong. New. Leadership. Roll over to learn more & get involved." | Video, Agenda (expanded to feature info on taxes, military, wasteful spending, click to donate) | Expandable 728x90 Leaderboard | 68,000 | AOL.com News |
| Source: Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance, 2007 | ||||
| June 2007 Sites and Impressions by Romney for President | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site/Sub-Site | Impressions | |||
| AOL.com News | 68,000 | |||
| Source: Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance, 2007 | ||||
| June 2007 Ads by Tancredo 08 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Copy | Call to Action | Ad Sizes | Number of Impressions | Sites/Networks |
| "Tom Tancredo: Defeat Amnesty Politicians." | "Breaking News" | 336x280 Large Rectangle | 855,000 | Drudge Report |
| Source: Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance, 2007 | ||||
| June 2007 Sites and Impressions by Tancredo 08 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site/Sub-Site | Impressions | |||
| Drudge Report | 855,000 | |||
| Source: Nielsen/NetRatings AdRelevance, 2007 | ||||
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