Is Print a Candidate for Campaign Ads This Fall?

By: Jennifer Saba The candidates in this year's presidential election aren't the only ones striving to punch up their images. The newspaper industry has been making its own bid to shift the perception political media buyers have about print. "If newspapers were free money, no one would pick it up," says Tom Edmonds, a principal at Edmonds Hackney and Associates, a political consulting firm in Washington, D.C. "Most media consultants do radio and TV; no one uses print."

Newspapers want to shed that notion. For the past 18 months, the Newspaper Association of America, along with industry executives, set up its own battle plan, hosting lunches and talks, conducting meetings with key consultants and driving home the idea that newspapers are a politically friendly medium and their ads are easy to buy, with competitive rates.

"I don't see them dropping what they've been doing for 20 years," says Jack Brady, director of marketing and advertising at the NAA. "But we want them to see us as a valid medium ? that we're not just about ink and paper but the Internet and polybags and Post-it notes."

The public relations effort to get on the radar screen is working, though the dollar return has been relatively slight, so far.

"The NAA has made some headway and they've done a terrific job in getting people to take a second look," says Wayne Johnson, vice president of the American Association of Political Consultants, a bipartisan organization of political professionals based in D.C.

The local front is where many papers have scored dollars. Brady points to The (Boise) Idaho Statesman as one success story. The paper has increased its political advertising over 60 % (up to $9,000) this year alone. And South Dakota papers are on the receiving end of Sen. Tom Daschle's re-election bid. The National Association of Hispanic Publications announced in August that the Kerry-Edwards campaign made a print buy through its network of 200 Hispanic publications.

But many papers are still looking to grab a piece of overflowing campaign coffers. As the election season gains steam, it still remains unclear whether significant money will be parceled out to newspapers. Research firm PQ Media expects newspapers' share of the $2.7-billion kitty will be $57.5 million, up from $26.4 million in 2000. Most political spending doesn't occur until after Labor Day, says Edmonds, who was hired by the NAA to help with its marketing initiative. But in the Bush-Kerry race, both sides have already spent heavily in August, as have related and unrelated activist groups.

Still, many executives are optimistic about prospects for the fall. Marty Goodnight, new account specialist with The Kansas City (Mo.) Star was appointed by Knight Ridder along with others to convince advocacy groups and campaign staffers to spend with his papers. He hasn't seen tons of activity, but he's hopeful. "At this point, I'm happy with the quantity of contacts and the positive feedback we've received from political consultants and advocacy groups," Goodnight says.

Dave Wilson, who is with The Indianapolis Star and was asked by Gannett to handle political and advocacy development with its properties (along with Cathy Zasada at The Arizona Republic) is upbeat about the next few months as well, noting that it will most likely come down to securing last-minute buys in several battleground states.

In addition to the PR push, the industry holds a few other cards. Edmonds rattles off some factors that fall in the favor of newspaper ad spending. The campaign finance law that affects soft money contributors (which encompasses advocacy groups or "527s"), for example, stipulates they can't run broadcast commercials, including radio, 60 days before the election. There's also an increasing frustration among consultants that TV is cluttered with ads, and it takes more money to break through. Beyond that, Edmonds says, "everybody is trying to get back to the grassroots campaign."

This is where the Internet shines and affords newspapers an opportunity to get in on the buy through their Web sites. "Sales people say over and over that it's easier to sell the Web site than ROP," Edmonds says. "[Papers] should use the Web to get their foot in the door."

Jason Krebs, vice president of sales and marketing for NYTimes.com ? where many groups have been advertising for Kerry ? wouldn't say how much political ads contribute to total advertising revenue. Krebs said that compared to prior years, the increase has been in the thousands percentile, calling it "a fantastic year" for Internet political advertising. "There's really been so much interest in the entire segment from all parties," he said.

The Times' site has the ability to target individuals based on income and geography. People who read certain stories might see certain political ads, Krebs says.

For all their efforts, newspapers face an uphill battle. They already provide something better than advertising, through editorial endorsements or straight campaign coverage. "The best thing you can hope for is a positive news story," the AAPC's Johnson says. "That's worth more than anything." So when it comes to newspapers, Johnson explains, most political consultants focus their efforts on coverage or editorials. A campaign's contact is generally through the newsroom, not the business side of the house.

Another angle that you would think would help may not: About three out of four voters read a newspaper. Problem is, surveys show this election will most likely be focused on people who don't normally vote, many of them not heavy newspaper readers. "This election campaign is overwhelmingly about persuadable voters and they are overwhelmingly the less-informed portion of the electorate," said John Franzen, president of Franzen & Co., a Washington, D.C.-based political consultancy. "They get their news far more from TV and radio than newspapers. That's why political advertising is so heavily focused on electronic media."

Evan Tracey, COO of the TNSMI/ Campaign Media Analysts Group, has his doubts about widespread newspaper spending. "I don't expect print ads," he says. "This is the follow-the-leader business, and until someone has success with print, you won't see someone jump in."

But campaign strategists might be forced to jump into the papers by the next election cycle, only because technology might trump TV. Mark McKinnon, the Bush media director, signed off one of his chats on the official re-election site this way: "Don't buy TiVo. It's killing political advertising."