Political ads on the airwaves have been so pervasive this year that voters in battleground states probably see them in their sleep. But when a political spot pops up while surfing the Web, there’s a good chance it’s aimed right at you. The practice is called microtargeting and like a […] Read more »
A Campaign Map, Morphed By Money
Campaign reporters spend a lot of time pointing at color-coded electoral maps like the one below, showing which states voted for Republican John McCain (in red) and Democrat Barack Obama (in blue) in 2008. But these maps lie — visually speaking. [cont.] Adam Cole, NPR Read more »
Dark Money Rises
Spending by outside groups is nothing new in American politics. … But in the past two years, American politics has been transformed by a surge in spending. One fact tells the story: Explicit political-ad spending by outside groups in 2012 is on track to double the combined total spent by […] Read more »
Obama Can Thank Early Negative Ads for His Advantage
America faces two general elections. One is occurring in seven or so swing states, where voters have experienced saturation advertising—mostly negative—since mid-June. … In the states that have experienced the minimalist campaign, the popular-vote numbers are even or maybe up for Republican nominee Mitt Romney by a bit. … But […] Read more »
Tracking Online Clicks to Try to Sway Voters
… One of the hallmarks of this campaign is the use of increasingly sophisticated — but not always accurate — data-mining techniques to customize ads for voters based on the digital trails they leave as they visit Internet sites. It is a practice pioneered by online retailers who work with […] Read more »
A Few Consequences Of Living In A Battleground State
… Does this carpet-bombing by the two nominees and their friends (i.e. SuperPACs) influence how people think about campaigns? In particular, do citizens in battleground states have different opinions on matters such as campaign spending, advertising and the civility of the campaign? The simple answer is yes. [cont.] John G. […] Read more »