Campaigns Follow Young Voters to Streaming Radio

Listeners who tuned in to Spanish and Latin music streams on Pandora in Colorado, Florida, and Nevada in June got an earful about Donald Trump. Specifically, they heard ads blasting the Republican’s assertions that a Latino federal judge can’t fairly oversee a case involving Trump University. The spots were paid for by the pro-Hillary Clinton super-PAC Priorities USA Action, which has budgeted $35 million for digital advertising this year. A significant chunk will go toward trying to influence Latino voters. “It’s probably the largest expenditure in a presidential campaign toward Hispanics by a super-PAC,” says Priorities spokesman Justin Barasky.

Digital ad spending by campaigns is expected to soar to as much as $1 billion this year, from $159 million in 2012, says media consultant Borrell Associates. Pandora is a favorite for candidates and advocacy groups appealing to young minority voters, who, ratings service Nielsen says, spend more time than average getting news and entertainment on mobile devices.