• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 2, 2019

Sure, he has Twitter, impromtu press conferences (while the helicopter is warming up on the White House lawn) and those big campaign rallies.

But what it comes down to it, the forthcoming Donald J. Trump presidential campaign still needed traditional TV advertising to make his feelings/messages known -- even to people he doesn’t think will vote for him.

Does this mean his campaign will actually looking for new voters?

More was revealed during the second Democratic Presidential Debate on Wednesday night on CNN. During the network’s coverage, as well analysis coverage on MSNBC, there was a 30-second TV commercial. 

The “Donald J. Trump for President” 30-second advertising had the typical stuff you’d expect: Blaming Democrats for destroying health care and the country’s current immigration woes. And, as usual, handing out names: “Radical. Reckless. Socialist.”

Oh heavens. Socialists! You might wonder if Trump is considering changing the name of Social Security, or forbidding references to Twitter as a social-media platform.

Guessing some TV networks weren’t going to be terribly interested in giving Trump much air time for whatever quality hot air he was set to deliver during those debates. So, there’s always TV advertising on MSNBC or CNN to consider. Donald Trump knows about TV advertising. But mostly about free promotion.

Still, running a commercial on MSNBC and CNN when those networks core viewers might not be favorably incline to give Trump much attention? (Wonder what the “engagement” numbers were on that bit of creative.)

In related TV content, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore appeared on MSNBC Wednesday to talk about how many traditional political campaigns and politicians' themes are stuck on voter groups that mean little today: “Reagan Democrats,” “working class” or “moderate Republicans.”

The truth is, he says: Nearly 70% of the eligible voting public are either women, people of color, or those 18-34 (or a combination thereof).

He adds presidential candidates trying to appeal to say “white men” or “white men with college degrees” are generally a waste of time. “Yes, you can get some of them back,” he says, concerning the Democratic presidential candidates. So there’s need for new emphasis when it comes to political advertising.

Was Trump trying to do that, early in the evening, with advertising on MSNBC and NBC? Get some different type of voters? Maybe. He also tried a traditional print ad the morning of the debate.

Look for some future-thinking 2020 presidential candidates to consider a new approach (as well as navigating around out-of-control social-media campaigns by unsavory actors) when it come to new targeted voters. TV messaging where you least expect.