Joe Biden bucks tradition and bets big on early swing state advertising.
Joe Biden’s campaign has departed from the traditional presidential campaign strategy of keeping a light footprint in key battleground states until the general election to a strategy of aggressive early advertising in these states.
The Biden campaign has invested heavily in local television, radio, and even digital advertising in twelve swing states. This approach could be a sign that the Biden campaign believes they need to ensure their favorable standing in these key states now, rather than wait until the general election season begins.
The Biden campaign has reserved much more airtime than it has used so far in early swing state advertising. They have already spent $15 million on local television advertising and $5 million on local radio advertising in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Ads have also been booked in five other states: Florida, Virginia, Minnesota, Nevada, and New Hampshire.
This early investment indicates the Biden campaign believes that the traditional election campaign strategies of the past may not be as effective as they used to be. Due to the current health crisis and changing voting behavior, the Biden campaign is taking a more personalized approach in targeting swing states, in an effort to make sure their message is heard loud and clear in these states.
The Biden campaign’s decision to invest in early advertising in swing states could well be an indication of their strategy to use targeted messaging to reach the correct voters in the correct geographical area.
This early investment approach by Joe Biden is in stark contrast to the strategies used by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Obama spent more money on advertising during the general election, compared to Biden’s earlier investment in local television, radio, and digital ads. Similarly, the Clinton campaign waited to focus its advertising in battleground states until the middle of the summer.
The Biden campaign’s decision to make aggressive investments in swing states during the primary season could end up paying off for them in the long run. That’s because the dynamics of early voting are changing the way campaigns win and lose the 2020 election. It may be an unorthodox approach, but only time will tell if it is the right one.
