Is TV dead?  No.  The sky is falling crowd keeps yelling that but this article shows that Americans are still watching over 4 hours of live TV A DAY.  So no, not dead.  But the trend is downward.  And as TV viewership is decreasing, more and more people are turning to the web or their trusty mobile devices.  We’ve been talking about this for a while, smart and effective ad campaigns will combine digital and traditional.  It helps build and strengthen your branding by creating a more effective echo chamber.  Good stats from in this article from the Wall Street Journal.

–  Team SHC

We know, we know, we know.  We keep harping on data.  Data, data, data.  There have been a lot of autopsies on the 2012 campaigns and one of the things that really stood out is how the Democrats have not only embraced data, but are now using it to drive their efforts on macro and micro levels.   AdAge has another excellent story on how campaigns are using data effectively in targeting their ad campaigns.

–  Team SHC

TV is becoming more and more fragmented and diversified.  People have more and more to choose from when they want to watch TV.  Last cycle the Obama team showed how effective campaigns can be using data – and in particular, making better use of cable.  They ran circles around the Romney campaign when it came to effectively targeting their TV spots.  Both in cost and in reaching the right audiences.  Smart campaigns are going to incorporate cable more effectively.  This article is a must read – analyzes the growth in cable spending suggesting it could make up to 25% of political ad spending.  Good read.

–  Team SHC

This is a great article in AdAge that looks into how the explosion of data can help us cater our messaging to audiences.  The story mainly focuses on online ads but sums up with a good point that applies to both digital and traditional,

“Good advertising is about storytelling, but online advertising has largely focused on the science and technology of delivery and not the message itself. We need to start giving the art just as much emphasis.”

Good – and memorable – ads do tell a story.  They are compelling and creative.  Data can help the creative process by helping define the intended audience – painting a more vivid picture of who we are trying to reach.  So can data write a script? No.  But it can make the creative narrative more effective by helping us to know our audience better.

–  Team SHC

We are big fans of humorous spots.  But only when they are done right.  Done wrong, you can practically hear the crickets.  The other danger of using humor is when is enough, enough?  Political campaigns aren’t stand up routines (well, they shouldn’t be…) and a lot of times they are dealing with hefty issues and/or legislation.  So can or should humor fit in there?  We think it can, and have proven that.  But what makes it work is knowing when to use it and more importantly where it fits into the overall strategic messaging.  Creative and quality go hand in hand with making the spot memorable, execution matters.

Here’s a spot we ran several years back.  Down ballot, primary for statewide office in Mississippi.  Crowded field, similar stances on most key issues. So the goal was to make our guy – Delbert Hosemann – stand out above the rest, will build up his name ID and defining him on the issues.  Once this spot [LINK TO “GILBERT” SPOT] aired it got really good buzz, and earned media pick up.  Helped to propel Delbert to where he needed to be in his primary – take a second to watch humor done right.

–  Team SHC