Democratic Biden/Harris Presidential Ticket Taking Advantage Of Radio’s ‘Captive Audience.’

 

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Story by Inside Radio

The campaign to elect Democratic nominee for President Joe Biden has spent nearly $15 million on radio ads, which have aired in all 50 states. Ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics says Biden’s radio ad spend is 56 times as much as incumbent President Donald Trump, who’s campaign has spent less than $270,000 on radio ads.

While still spending at TV, the Biden campaign is using radio as a cost-effective way to target voters with tailored messages and to boost turnout among Black and Latino voters. The radio ads are “a side dish on top of the main course,” campaign director Patrick Bonsignore told McClatchy DC. “Radio affords us the opportunity where you can get into a specific audience and have more meaningful and relevant communication with them. You have a captive audience that is specific.”

Biden recently launched ad campaigns focused on rural parts of battleground states and religious voters. Five swing states have been the target of most of the former Vice President’s radio ad budget with $4.3 million spent in Florida, $2.2 million each in Pennsylvania and Michigan and $1.4 million in both North Carolina and Arizona. The Biden campaign has spent at least $100,000 in seven other battleground states, Advertising Analytics reports. The campaign has also aired ads on radio shows geared towards African Americans and Spanish speakers.

In comparison, the Trump campaign has spent $112,000 on radio ads in Florida and a combined $154,000 in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump’s paid radio ad campaigns have also focused on Black, Spanish-language and Christian voters, while his “earned media” on AM/FM has him dialing into popular conservative talk radio shows, including a 2-hour appearance Friday on Rush Limbaugh’s syndicated show.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Zager suggests that Biden’s focus on radio is outdated. “When Joe Biden first ran for office 47 years ago, radio was one of a limited number of ways to reach the electorate,” she said. “Whether it’s through digital, texts, apps, TV or radio, President Trump’s campaign is sharing his message and reaching voters.”

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