Infomercial Smartly Put Feelings Before Facts

Buying time on all networks but ABC still misses most in major markets

(NEWSER) - Just about a fifth of watchers in big US media markets tuned in to last night’s Barack Obama infomercial, even though the spot aired on four of five major networks, the Chicago Tribune reports. The highest ratings were in Baltimore, where a little less than a third of families caught the 30-minute spot. More»

Some did, some didn't, making a headline tough to write

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's half-hour TV pitch scored with writers on the left—though one found it embarrassing to admit to being seduced by an infomercial—while those on the right were turned off:

• Saying it was hardly the "gauzy, feel-good commercial," McCain labeled it in advance, John Nichols of the Nation found it an effective expression of empathy for a hurting populace. “Obama presented a chronicle of despair,” he writes, telling stories that were "crying to be told."

Analysts see little risk in appeal to undecideds

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s 30-minute infomercial tonight comes at a time when 11th-hour deciders start to look for information, Jeanne Cummings writes in Politico. There is some risk of overkill, analysts say, but the Democrat can afford the outlay. “It’s like football,” one GOP strategist says. “People may complain that a team is running up the score, but that team is still the one that wins." More»

Brings total to more than $600M

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama scored $150 million in September, he said today, a monthly record that brings his fundraising total to another record topping $600 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The previous monthly record was Obama’s $66 million in August. Those figures give the Democrat a big leg up in TV advertising in battleground and typically red states. More»

Unprecedented Democratic ad blitz to break Bush record within days

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is outspending John McCain 4-to-1 on advertising nationwide and is on course to break George Bush's 2004 spending record within days, reports the New York Times. Obama has stepped up his spending since the start of October and is blitzing network TV, cable TV, and even video games with campaign ads, both negative and positive. More»