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Social media ad spending in 2012 expected to more than double compared to 2008
Social media advertising is only going to grow over the next few years, according to multiple studies. Expect political campaigns to contribute to that growth, giving it a boost in 2012 alone with the millions already being poured into digital ads by presidential campaigns this year.
ClickZ, a website that reports on digital marketing, reported
that President Obama's campaign is on track to spend $35 million on online
advertising alone this cycle. That's up from about $16 million the campaign
spent in 2008, at the time a record amount. In 2008, Obama’s competitor
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spent around $3.6 million on online
advertising.
Internet marketing research company comScore found that the Obama campaign out-spent Mitt Romney, now the presumed GOP nominee, along with three of the top former Republican candidates by a radio of 10 to 1 over the past six months, according to their study released at the end of April.
But Zac Moffatt, digital director for Romney's campaign, told NPR this week that Romney is ramping up his social media presence heading into the general election and “now both parties get the Web.”
Online advertising is still a tiny fraction of what presidential campaigns spend on advertising overall, even though as a percentage of total campaign advertising, spending on social media has doubled since the last presidential cycle. A report on 2012 political advertising from Borrell Associates found that campaigns put the majority of their online resources into paid search advertising (this strategy is tied to results on Google and other search engines, directing casual searchers to where the campaign most wants them to go), followed by targeted display ads, streaming video, then static site display and email spending.
Obama has ramped up his online spending in all five main areas, according to ClickZ: Display ads, paid search, audio, video and email. So far, according to comScore, no Republican candidate has kept up with Obama in these areas. Rick Santorum heavily out-spent his GOP rivals in December 2011 on paid search advertising in an attempt to solve the infamous “Google problem” caused by his last name. And the survey found that Ron Paul has leveraged the viral capabilities of social networks better than any of the other presidential contenders, including Obama, “getting more than twice as many free exposures than the number he paid for” through friends sharing content with other friends (known as “earned media”).
But comScore concluded from its study that Obama’s campaign has a “well-oiled machine when it comes to digital campaign strategy,” giving him the home court advantage.
"Comparing the Obama campaign — who haven't gone through a primary — with 750 staffers, versus Romney, with 87, is comparing apples and hamburgers," Moffatt told NPR on Monday. Moffatt has shared in multiple interviews recently that Romney's campaign plans to ramp up their social media presence heading into the general election, and the campaign has been hiring for Web-based positions.
ComScore credited Obama’s 2008 campaign for setting “a new standard” for online engagement, especially when it comes to fundraising, but added that it was the Republican candidates in 2010 “who took the lead with Twitter and showed how that tool could be used effectively.” The GOP took the majority in the House in that election, a victory credited largely to the grassroots activism of the Tea Party.
Moffatt also credited the Tea Party for helping advance social media use during campaigns, telling NPR “they understand online organizing."
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