Axios reports today (via PoliticalWire) that Trump 2020 will spend “in the high seven figures” on digital advertising this week tied to the Republican Convention. Ads will run on Facebook, Google properties and streaming services, and they follow another surge of digital advertising during the Democrats’ virtual gathering last week.
Assuming the content hits the mark, this strategy would seem to be a good way to capitalize on MAGA enthusiasm as Trump apparently speaks on all four convention evenings in prime time. Expect many ads to ask for petition signatures or donations, hoping to build the president’s supporter list with just over two months to go until Election Day.
Like the Republican Convention itself, though, this week’s ads won’t likely persuade many people who aren’t on the Trump train already. When a White couple who pulled guns on a multi-racial protest parade is on the speaker list, you know the organizers have given up on bringing many new people into the tent. With a speaker lineup still taking shape over the weekend, we also shouldn’t expect a production as tight as the Democrats’. Let’s see what happens tonight, and who actually likes what they see.
– cpd