Obama Makes $5 Million Olympics Ad Buy

AdAge reports:

It's official. Sen. Barack Obama's campaign will be among the TV sponsors of NBC Universal's Olympics coverage. In the first significant network-TV buy of any presidential candidate in at least 16 years, the Obama campaign has taken a $5 million package of Olympics spots that includes network TV as well as cable ads.

According to NBC's political file, the campaign had initially requested information about 500,000, $2 million and $4 million package of Olympics spots. The network also offered the candidate a $10 million package.

Ben Smith notes, "The buy, AdAge editor Ken Wheaton emails, makes Obama the first candidate since Bob Dole in 1996 to go with national broadcast advertising."

Update: More from the New York Times:

National broadcast advertising buys are highly unusual for presidential candidates. Campaigns usually order TV ad time in local markets (most often in contested states) and sometimes supplement it with cable television buys.

"Both the scale and the scope makes Obama's buy unprecedented," said Evan Tracey, the chief operating officer of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks advertising spending. "This is going beyond the battleground states; this is coverage that the entire country sees. It sort of validates his 50-state posture."

Both Mr. Obama and Senator John McCain, his Republican rival, are setting new records for television advertising spending during the campaign. Mr. Tracey said both Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain are spending close to $6 million a week on TV commercials.

Comments

[ModMs]

11:39 PM on 07/24/2008

SHAME ON YOU, BARACK OBAMA, for supporting one of the biggest violators of human rights in history! No one should be supporting the IOC for choosing China as an Olympic venue and this is truly another big disappointment coming from the Obama campaign.

[MagisterLudi]

12:33 PM on 07/25/2008

"biggest violators of human rights in history!"

Duh, I almost chocked on my dim sum.

How preposterously ignor-rant one has to be to post such apple sauce.
One sentence only: Native American genocide.
The destruction and subjugation of the ENTIRE population of North American continent!!!!
Ever heard of that.

[OsamaBushLadin]

03:08 PM on 07/27/2008

Wow. How does someone like so utterly devoid of a scrap of brain power like yourself, still manage to draw breathe? Amazing. Anyways if chinese haven't shut themselves off rest from the world, and had found the N. America continent before the europeans; undoubtly they would murdered off the native americans off "completely". Right now the PRC is the all time champion with about 73,237,000 deaths in 57 years. Now please shut up with your mindless trolling.

BTW that doesn't include the 2 million + killed in Cambodia with China's complicity.

[NotaBeliever]

12:42 PM on 07/24/2008

What on earth is that picture of? I'm just askin'.

[frustratedinohio]

01:02 PM on 07/24/2008

Thank you, I can't figure it out either.

[NHGranite]

07:03 PM on 07/24/2008

It looks like a red caterpillar

[ccpostman]

08:48 PM on 07/24/2008

It is the new China National Stadium called the "Bird's Nest". It is lighted in red lights in the photo above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium

[kissmygrits]

11:45 AM on 07/24/2008

I'm gonna give another hundy right now.

[Ariadne]

10:39 AM on 07/24/2008

That picture looks like a big mouth.

[metalpipe]

09:13 AM on 07/24/2008

Better donate another $25 this month! Gotta go.

[MrTender]

06:07 AM on 07/24/2008

This is either a very clever ... or a very stupid move.

Possibly clever... because it will cause the Reps to use their resources in their "safe" states to ensure they retain those states.

Possibly stupid .... because it is taking Obama's precious resources away from the battleground states.

I hope you know what you are doing Mr Obama!

[Pupadup4oBama]

10:44 AM on 07/24/2008

oh he does!

[OsamaBushLadin]

03:16 PM on 07/27/2008

Yes he does. It's exactly what his possible new bosses in China and G.E. want him to do.
P.S. You can't be so foolish as to think he is going to answer to the American people if he's elected, did you? Bwahahahaha

[SeanGardner]

04:54 AM on 07/24/2008

This is great.

I remember Obama employed a similar strategy during The Super Bowl. No, he couldn't advertise directly because direct political ad buys are not allowed. But what did he do? He went around that rule and advertised locally in Super Tuesday states, meaning his ads were seen locally during the Superbowl, and, he didn't have pay millions of dollars for one ad. And those local ad buys made a difference in states like Connecticut, Deleware, Kansas, Missouri, Utah, and Idaho, among other states he won on Feb. 5th, just two days after the Superbowl.

BRILLIANT!!!!

So far, he has been very disciplined with his spending, and even more displined in his fundraising. So I trust his judgment on advertising during the Olympics. There will be some great stories this year, particularly the story of the 41 year old female swimmer who is in great shape, and beating swimmers half her age.

Its a good ad buy for Obama.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

07:44 AM on 07/24/2008

It is brilliant. No matter what any one says he has run a great campaign. That alone shows you he could be a good president. He showed that Hillary and McCain that he has just as much experience as handling large sums of money.

[munjuni]

10:16 AM on 07/24/2008

"He showed that Hillary and McCain that he has just as much experience as handling large sums of money."

I beg to differ. He has shown MORE, BETTER and DISCIPLINED experience in handling huge sums of money. Hillary bankrupted her campaign and is looking for Obama to bail her out, just as Bush bankrupted our country and hopes Obama will bail us out.

[luvangelHussein330]

04:53 AM on 07/24/2008

Excelent Marketing 101, I plan on making a donation to OOIS Operation Obama Information Saturation.

[Wheatondale]

02:27 AM on 07/24/2008

I think Obama is wasting money on this because I don't think many people would watch this year Olympic, in boycotting the Chinese. I myself will not watch any game involving the Chinese and I wish shame, disgrace, and embarrassment will be cast up on the Chinese for their barbaric and brutal treatment of the Tibetans.

[daddydamon]

06:17 AM on 07/24/2008

I'm boycotting watching as well. Not because the games are being held in China, but because they're not being broadcast live! Who cares about taped sports?

[Mattyhorn]

09:47 AM on 07/24/2008

While I'm sure your boycott may help you feel better about China's gross inequity toward Tibet, you must understand that the only damage done will be to the athletes competing in the games and the sponsors who support them.

Certainly, noone is forcing you to watch, (I find much of the coverage rather dull myself.) but perhaps your self-righteousness would be better served in another arena.

[OsamaBushLadin]

03:24 PM on 07/27/2008

That's a really lame comment. Who's cares about these pampered prima donnas. What the hell are they doing to better the world? Olympics is a bogus waste of money, and you'd have to simpleton to believe otherwise.

[Countdown09]

02:13 AM on 07/24/2008

I'm in!! I'll be making another donation tomorrow.

[yhgtup]

05:31 PM on 07/24/2008

I just made another donation after watching Barack's speech and that 200,000- plus crowd he attracted in Berlin.

[MissingAmerica]

01:41 AM on 07/24/2008

That would be like sitting inside a blood vessel! Is that the stadium? I would like to see Obama's commercials, but I have no desire to watch the Olympics. The Olympic Committee has seen fit to overlook the barbarous nature of the Chinese Government. As for me, if I wish to see anything having to do with China, I'll just take an evening out and visit Wal-Mart.

[daddydamon]

06:17 AM on 07/24/2008

Oh, and I guess the US government isn't barbarous at all. Go ahead and take that walk at Wal-Mart, China's #1 customer. Idiot.

[MagisterLudi]

12:08 PM on 07/24/2008

"As for me, if I wish to see anything having to do with China, I'll just take an evening out and visit Wal-Mart."
You may also ask American Christian missionaries and so called liberals to stay out of China.

The ONLY time in recent history that China has been unstable was when Westerners get involved in their affairs.

You may also consider:
Taking a Tai Chi class,
read Li Po or Lao Tzu,
Study about Buddhist Ch'an tradition.
Learn how Chinese one-child policies have benefited China and the world.
Read about economic freedom enjoyed by Chinese,
Watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Learn about Chinese work and study ethics vs. American indolence and whining.

[ChristopherLib]

01:11 AM on 07/24/2008

Well it's not like he doesn't have the money. He has to use up that money allocated for the primary season or else lose it because it's not eligible for the general election after the convention. And $5 million is not an insane amount of National buys. That would get you 2 30 second Superbowl ads. Obviously the ad time is much cheaper for the Olympics, but don't expect to see more than an average of an ad a night, probably less. I like the decision, but targeted local time which is far cheaper should be the main focus.

[Sloppyseconds]

12:29 AM on 07/24/2008

Just curious but is the stadium red because of all the Tibetan and Darfur blood?

[Knowitall]

12:53 AM on 07/24/2008

Is that the stadium? I thought it was a Jello commercial. But your analogy is spot on.

[GoldCanyonGal]

01:30 AM on 07/24/2008

Commies...Reds by nature....shudder.....won't be much an 'ad' vantage if it implodes, or the people attending are gased by the crappy air...poisoned by the crappy food...or overall, it just turns into some kind of natural and/or man made catastrophe...maybe they'll move their public executions to 'half-time'....those whole scene is disgusting!

[lizr]

01:58 AM on 07/24/2008

Commies?Reds? are we back in the 50's?

[MagisterLudi]

12:09 PM on 07/24/2008

GoldGal... consider medication.....

[GayGrandpa]

12:21 AM on 07/24/2008

I have no intentions to watch the Olympics...I will not forget what they did to Tibet.

[ElliotNC]

12:31 AM on 07/24/2008

Obama followed Hillary's lead and announced (a little late) that Bush should not attend the Opening Ceremony. I guess he did not want the President of the United States interfering with his ad message.

[neesy08]

12:48 AM on 07/24/2008

i wish you people would think before you post. Bush was asked to NOT visit China to attend the Olympics! Obama's ads will be run here in the USA. How is Bush interfering with his message?

[mairs]

01:07 AM on 07/24/2008

I'm wondering. If the Olympics comes back to the US, will we refrain from watching because we won't forget what we did to Iraq?

[Countdown09]

02:14 AM on 07/24/2008

mairs - good point.

[BaltimoreSteve]

12:14 AM on 07/24/2008

And I thought the only exposure he would get during the Olympics would be Nike's introduction of their new shoe...the Air Obama.

[ElliotNC]

12:29 AM on 07/24/2008

Good one.

[retreadite]

01:23 AM on 07/24/2008

Is that a bowling shoe?