The ad, or ads, purchased by the Trump campaign are expected to run early during Super Bowl LIVGETTY IMAGES
President Trump's reelection campaign is "planning to drop" $10M to advertise during Super Bowl LIV, according to sources cited by Alex Isenstadt of POLITICO. The campaign has purchased 60 seconds of ad time, though it is "unclear whether it will be a single 60-second spot or a pair of 30-second commercials." The ad, or ads, are "expected to run early in the game, when viewership is likely to be at its highest." THE DAILY's John Ourand in November first reported that the Trump campaign could run an ad in the game. This "won't be the first time the campaign advertises during a major sporting event," as the reelection campaign "ran commercials during last year's World Series." Trump aides said that they are "still determining the content of the Super Bowl advertising." The Trump campaign has "been in talks with Fox ... since the fall and reserved the advertising time in December." Meanwhile, Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg also has purchased $10M in "Super Bowl advertising time" (POLITICO.com, 1/7). Trump campaign Dir of Communications Tim Murtaugh said of the Super Bowl commercial time, "We got in early, which gave us prime ad position early in the game." AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi noted political candidates "don't typically run national Super Bowl ads." President Obama aired a commercial during Super Bowl XLII in '08, but "only bought time in 24 local markets rather than buying the national audience" (ADAGE.com, 1/7).
BLOOMBERG'S UNIQUE APPROACH: Campaign aides for Bloomberg said that the former N.Y. mayor's Super Bowl ad "would be a new spot that has not yet aired." In N.Y., Nick Corasaniti notes it is "not clear when during the game" Bloomberg's ad will air. Super Bowl ads are "rarely seen in presidential politics," as a national buy has "often been out of reach, given the expense." It also is "usually viewed as wasteful to pay to reach a 50-state audience rather than buying ads in key states where campaigns would prefer to target their message." However, Bloomberg is "running an unconventional primary campaign with heavy national emphasis" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/8). ADWEEK's Sara Jerde noted Bloomberg's campaign "took some of the spotlight from the Trump campaign by rolling out news about its own Super Bowl ad" before the announcement from Trump's team. Bloomberg's campaign was telling media that its commercial was to "counter Trump's presence" during the game (ADWEEK.com, 1/7).
