As he makes political ads, Heath Garrett may realize a race, like many statewide ones in Georgia, will come down to college-educated, persuadable, politically moderate women living somewhere in the Atlanta suburbs.
How will he reach them? The answer used to be simple: television, the big gun in the political ad arsenal. Put your ads there, augment it with drive-time radio, throw in some flyers, yard signs, and door-knocking, and voila, you’ve reached people.
Now, it’s more complicated. The big problem? Young people don’t watch television. And the group gets older and bigger every day.
Where Are the Eyeballs?
Heath Garrett of Strategic Partners & Media makes political ads in Atlanta. (Photo courtesy of Heath Garrett.)
“Those over the age of 50 we can find on broadcast or cable television,” said Garrett, a partner in Strategic Partners & Media. “Under the age of 50, we have to literally identify each household. What programming they’re watching on Hulu, YouTube, or through Facebook and Google searches. There’s a good chance they’ll never see an ad on the 6 o’clock news or primetime TV show.”…