US Electoral 2016 Updates: Trump Spent $8.4 Million for Digital Consulting and Advertising in July Alone
Republican Donald Trump spends four times as much as his June spending on digital advertising
According to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign financial report, the billionaire spent $8.4 million for digital consulting and advertising in July alone. This unprecedented amount is four times bigger than his June report that reflected only $1.6 million. Trump's report for the last two months also showed that the candidate has spent most of his funds on digital content. This is also three times more than what the real estate mogul is spending on expensive television ads.
Digital advertising is Trump's priority
According to reports, it looks like the Republican candidate is putting together last minute digital campaign projects to hopefully boost his campaign. However, Republican and Democratic digital experts said that doing so will not just cost more for any candidate but could also net less than a strategy that was devised earlier. Strategists also mentioned that last-minute projects may also lead to disappointing results.
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Trump should have started early
According to an interview with Patrick Ruffini, digital strategist and chairman of Engage LLC, he said that Trump could have saved money if he started with digital fundraising earlier. Still other strategist said that fundraising has to start early and takes place "in the inbox." Waiting longer could only make it more expensive.
It usually takes years for candidates to build a working email database to mine donations. Some may even use lists outside their respective parties. These actions lead to more users who will respond to their digital campaigns and their ads.
How Hillary Clinton did it
Even before Hillary Clinton ran for office, her list was already built in advance. Her Ready for Hillary campaign was created years ago and had more than 4 million respondents. The list was transferred to her actual campaign list last year. So far, the Democratic candidate has spent more than $68 million on television advertising and around $7.2 for digital and online advertising since April.
Trump rules online digital marketing
No doubt Trump has mastered the art of responding and keeping his social media status alive and kicking like no other candidate did before. However, he has failed to turn this massive opportunity into a fundraising strategy. Trump started his campaign with no finance team or fundraising group. His campaign staff is composed of less than 100 people. Clinton on the other hand has more than 700 and reports said the number is growing quickly. Trump merely argues that his campaign does not need these structures to succeed.
