…but are they?
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump often touts the fact that he has spent considerably less in advertising than his Democratic opponent, Secretary Clinton. That’s true. Clinton’s campaign has spent about $81 million on television advertising during the general election campaign—more than six times what Trump has spent. His campaign spent about $13 million.
As of this writing, national polls show a tight race and that has some speculating that ads don’t have the same impact that they used to. That’s not true.
Advertising Equals Branding Awareness
One of the most important reasons to advertise is to build brand awareness, but Trump has been doing that since the early ’70s. He is a walking brand. Buildings, golf courses, ties, and even steaks have his name on them. He was a football team owner in the now defunct USFL. Not to mention that 258 episodes of his television programs, The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice have aired. His book, The Art of the Deal has sold more than one-million copies. Trump needs brand awareness about as much as Sinatra needed singing lessons.
Free Advertising Doesn’t Mean Positive Advertising
The other factor, sometimes overlooked, is that Trump has in fact, advertised. He just hasn’t had to pay for it. According to the tracking firm mediaQuant. since September 2015, Trump has earned about $4.6 billion worth of free media, nearly double Clinton’s $2.5 billion. The Portland based firm tracks mentions in more than 20,000 English language media outlets for many major names, ranging from the Pope to Taylor Swift. Swift received nearly $500-million in free media this year. Retired quarterback Peyton Manning got about $30-million.
However, according to a September article in Time Magazine, since mediaQuant’s figures include both positive and negative coverage, this means an abundance of free media may not be an advantage.
Major players in politics and entertainment still advertise because it’s a message they can control. That’s the same for business. Whatever gap exists between what Trump spends and what Clinton spends is closed by the imbalance of the coverage that doesn’t cost Trump anything. It is advertising whether you are paying for it or not. And advertising with an impactful positive message matters.
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