More Than $76M Spent on Energy Issues

Evan Tracey highlights this year's big spenders on energy ads including the two remaining Democratic presidential hopefuls and Big Oil.

Posted April 30, 2008
By Evan Tracey, AdAge

Obama Outspends Clinton; Energy Companies Spend Big

Since the beginning of the year, more than $76 million has been spent on the issues related with going green. Recently TNS's Campaign Media Analysis Group released its newsletter, The Eye, focused on energy-related ad spending. Here's what was covered:

• Like he has in every other realm, Barack Obama outspent Hillary Clinton on ads focused on energy issues since January 2008. Clinton set aside approximately $5.1 million to address energy issues, or 18% of her total ad spending, whereas Obama spent almost $7.7 million, or around 16%. Both candidates focused on the need for energy independence and alternative fuel.
  
  
• Energy companies, ranging from Chevron Corp. and Shell Oil Co. to Americans for Balanced Energy Choices and Chesapeake Energy, spent a combined $55 million on ads to date this year. The need for independence from foreign oil was a common theme, as well as the need for a clean energy source.
  
  
• The Alliance for Climate Protection, fronted by Al Gore, was one of many advocacy groups to run ads stressing the importance of energy conservation. More than $8.4 million has been spent on ads featuring actors and religious and political leaders.


• To show the downside of energy-conservation legislation, Competitive Enterprise Institute released an ad highlighting how a decrease in energy usage puts America's jobs and future at risk.

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Evan Tracey is the founder and chief operating officer of Campaign Media Analysis Group, a TNS Media Intelligence company. See his complete bio.