Television ad spending for the 2016 US election is predicted to exceed 18 % compared to the spend on the 2012 election , according to ad revenue - tracking firm Borrell Associates . As the trend for larger budgets for digital platforms grows , 2016 is predicted to be the first year in which election digital ad spending will breach $ 1bn , a 5000 % increase from the 2008 Presidential election . Social media and digital technology are expected to simplify the campaign process , hyper - targeting previously harder - to - target voter segments such as millenials and Hispanics via social networking sites like Facebook and Google , making it more cost - effective for political candidates . targeting segments on a hyper - local scale and delivering ads aligned to location and demographic profiles are recommended for generating the most revenue .
Television ad spending for the 2016 US election is forecast to rise 18% compared to the spend on the 2012 election, according to ad spend-tracking firm Borrell Associates. As the trend for larger budgets for digital platforms grows, 2016 is predicted to be the first year in which election digital ad spending will breach $1bn, a 5000% increase from the 2008 Presidential election. Social media and digital technology are expected to simplify the campaign process, hyper-targeting previously harder-to-reach voter segments such as millenials and Hispanics via social networking sites like Facebook and Google, making it more cost-effective for political candidates. Targeting segments on a hyper-local basis and delivering ads aligned to location and demographic profiles are recommended for generating the most revenue.