Not one to be content with spending millions of dollars on television ads and postal mailers, the presidential campaign of former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is now spending big bucks on traditional radio advertising spots.
Last week, hundreds of radio stations collectively played Bloomberg’s campaign advertisements more than 45,500 times, with stations playing Bloomberg’s audio ads more than competing ads from McDonald’s, Geico and the Home Depot.
Only Progressive had more ad plays in the week ending February 23, with around 10,000 more ad plays compared to the Bloomberg campaign. The data was compiled by Media Monitors, a media data agency that measures advertisement campaigns across hundreds of participating radio stations in dozens of regional markets.
The ad spending has provided a boon for traditional radio companies that have largely struggled with attracting big media buys in recent years. Entercom, Cumulus, iHeartMedia and Townsquare Media have all seen an increase in revenue thanks in part to Bloomberg’s commitment to audio ads across their stations, according to industry insiders who spoke with The Desk this week.
Since entering the race late last year, Bloomberg has spent more than a half-billion dollars in local, regional and national ad buys across broadcast television, cable television, digital platforms and traditional radio, according to Bloomberg News.
Documents reviewed by The Desk showed Bloomberg was spending around $1 million in television ads in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market ahead of California’s early March primary.
