President-elect Donald Trump caught flak during the campaign for not spending as much as his opponent Hillary Clinton on advertising, but he did receive $4.6 billion in free TV exposure according to the Financial Times.
According to a report from The Daily Beast, Fox News host Sean Hannity provided Trump with $31 million in free media by devoting over 22 hours to interviews with Trump since June 2015.
"The difference between his campaign's approach to getting its message out and Mrs. Clinton's was stark. She spent more than $300 million across the country, proving beyond doubt that advertising is a waste of money if the target audience is ambivalent about what you are saying," wrote the Times' Matthew Garrahan.
"She carpeted swing states such as Pennsylvania and Florida with television ads and a far-reaching digital campaign that micro-targeted users of social networks. Her commercials focused on Mr Trump's outbursts, character and temperament and were aimed at specific voter groups. Judging by Tuesday's results, these voters gave a collective yawn."
Clinton spent over $300 million in her campaign, but her message didn't capture the public attention enough to bring her victory.
Garrahan quotes the late advertising executive Bill Bernbach: "You can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. You've got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut. Because if they don't feel it, nothing will happen."
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