It takes more than just money to run an effective political air war – it is critical to know where to spend that money, and that means knowing the audience and knowing the programming they favor, according to a report in Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call.
Media buyers are the number crunchers that figure out where best to place ads, depending on the candidate or PAC and the particular message being communicated.
Since they are also closely monitoring broadcast advertising in the course of doing their jobs, media buyers are also able to provide critical information on what the opposition is doing in a given media market.
But the main idea is to tailor the message to the target audience, just as you would with a retail product or service. A sports roundup would not a great place to put an ad that seeks to influence the votes of women, for example; just as a soap would not be a great place to try to influence the votes of men.
You won’t find much of the youth vote tuned in to the local oldies station, just as there are few senior citizens keeping up with the latest releases on the local Hip Hop station.
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