If the 2004 presidential campaign was the Internet Election, and the 2008 campaign was the Social Media Election, and the 2012 campaign was the Twitter Election, then the 2016 presidential campaign is the Digital Ad Election.

From USA Today:

TV, the old king of U.S. politics, faces mortality

“I’ve spent no money, and I’m number one.” — Donald Trump

”I’m going to do something really novel. It’s called advertising.’’ — Jeb Bush

Both presidential candidates, one the year’s big surprise and the other its big disappointment, were talking about television, for a half century the dominant weapon of national politics.

Trump was proclaiming its irrelevance; Bush was acknowledging such skepticism — while doubling down.

It’s a paradox of the 2016 campaign: unprecedented political spending on TV ads, and unprecedented doubt over whether it’s having much impact.

The fall of King TV is not imminent. But in 2015, TV broadcast advertising seemed inversely related to political success, as measured by polls.

And what will eventually replace TV advertising?

Digital ads.

From Felicia Greiff at Ad Age . . .

Read the rest at Dustup 2016.