2018 Political Ad Spend LA$R
How much are you budgeting for political advertising in 2018? Our 2018 Political Local Ad Spending Report (LA$R)(TM) is a unique product that offers detailed forecasts by state and by market. It’s designed for anyone selling, buying, or otherwise tracking the estimated $8.8 billion that will be spent in the 2018 election cycle — 6.3% more than in the previous “Year 2” cycle (2014). Each report provides a statewide glimpse the of the races slated for 2018 and our forecasts for expenditures for each, with detail for each TV market area (TMA/DMA) within that state. A report is available for each of the 50 states and D.C. You’ll get:
- Number and type of statewide, regional, and local elections slated in 2018
- Spending forecasts for each type of election, and per-seat ad-spending averages
- Comparisons to U.S. averages
- Two updates on state and local-level spending estimates in 2018 (Q2 and late Q3)
- Access to client-only status reports/webinars throughout the year
- Forecasts for each of 12 political categories (Senate, School Board, Ballot Issues, Local Judiciary, Local Government, etc.)
- Forecasts for each of 9 types of media (TV, Outdoor, Newspapers, Digital, Direct Mail, Telemarketing, etc.)
- Forecasts of ad spending by type of race for each TMA/DMA

How do we compile these estimates? Borrell derives its ad-spending data from a variety of sources, including U.S. government filings, disclosures to the Federal Elections Commission, public company statements, information from exchange desks, and media company records. Forecasts are based on Borrell’s ongoing tracking of political advertising expenditures per eligibile voter, tracked along relative election cycles over four-year periods. For instance, we base our 2018 forecasts on the last “Year 2” period, which was 2014, when $8.3 billion was spent on political ads. For 2018, we’re forecasting $8.8 billion, a 6.3% increase.
Politcal Ad Spending 2014 to 2018
- 2014 Political Advertising Spend ( 8.3 billion)
- 2018 Political Ad Spend Forecast (8.8 billion)
- 2014 Political Advertising Spend ( 8.3 billion)
- 2018 Political Ad Spend Forecast (8.8 billion)