BIGresearch: Clinton & Obama Should Listen Up Before Making Any More Pricey Advertising Purchases

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - March 18, 2008) - As the Democratic candidates for President continue to battle it out while heading towards the Pennsylvania Primary with waning arsenals of mud and funds, both campaigns could probably use some advice on how to best spend what's left of their advertising budgets.

A recent analysis of BIGresearch's (http://www.bigresearch.com) Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 11) of 15,727 participants shows that members of all political parties are using new media, making it a smart, cost-effective alternative to expensive television ads.

When building out their upcoming advertising plans, campaigns should also consider which new media potential voters are using most often. According to the analysis, the top three used most among Democrats, Republicans and Independents include cell phones, video gaming and instant messaging. New media is a big part of Libertarians' lives as well with 37.6% regularly or occasionally blogging, while 26.9% of Democrats, 25.7% of Independents and 22.9% of Republicans are doing so.

New Media Usage (Regularly/Occasionally) Top 3
----------------------------------------------
Republicans       Democrats        Libertarians        Independents
-------------     -------------    -----------------   ---------------
Cell              Cell             Cell                Cell
 Phone  88.9%      Phone  88.4%     Phone      86.5%    Phone    86.4%
Video             IM               Video               IM
 Gaming 42.9%      Online 52.3%     Gaming     57.1%    Online   48.2%
IM                Video            IPOD/               Video
 Online 42.6%      Gaming 47.0%     MP3 Player 56.6%    Gaming   46.9%

Source: BIGresearch, SIMM 11, Dec 07

Regarding traditional media, the analysis of the survey shows that potential voters spend more time watching Cable than Broadcast TV, another significant finding that can be used in upcoming strategy sessions. 45.8% of Republicans, 45.6% of Democrats, 57.6% of Libertarians and 46% of Independents say they spend more time watching cable stations than traditional broadcast networks. Conversely, 36.7% of Republicans, 34.2% of Democrats, 37.5% of Libertarians and 34% of Independents say they watch traditional broadcasts more. The remaining says they watch equal amounts of cable and network broadcasts: Republicans (17.6%), Democrats (20.2%), Libertarians (4.9%) and Independents (20%).

The study also identified the cable networks and radio formats of choice by political party. Discovery Channel and The History Channel made their way into the top five for all groups. Fox News was #3 on the list for Republicans; however, no other cable news channel made the top five for any of the other parties.

"New media offers candidates with an alternative or compliment to their traditional media spending," said Gary Drenik, President of BIGresearch. "By actually listening to potential voters and using all media, not just traditional, candidates can build an ad strategy that is more likely to influence votes."

For expanded lists, please click here: http://info.bigresearch.com/

About BIGresearch

BIGresearch is a consumer intelligence firm providing analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive, and media. BIGresearch's syndicated Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM) is focused on consumers to gauge their consumption across media, products and services. Marketers can use SIMM to develop the types of consumer-centric marketing plans required to increase advertisers' ROI. The SIMM monitors more than 15,000 consumers twice each year. BIGresearch also conducts the Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) of more than 7,000 consumers monthly.

BIGresearch's methodology provides the most accurate consumer information in the industry with a margin of error of +/- 1 percent. http://www.bigresearch.com

Contact Information: Contact: Chrissy Wissinger BIGresearch 450 West Wilson Bridge Road Suite 370 Worthington, Ohio 43085 (614) 846-0146