• by Wayne Friedman , March 31, 2016

Borrell Associates has raised its political advertising revenue estimate for 2016 by 3% -- $357 million -- to hit a record $11.7 billion, based on estimates of the first three months, of how some $280 million was spent.

“A complex mix of “earned media” and “purchased media” has thrown a bit of a twist into the forecasts,” according to the Borrell Associates summary.

“Call it the Trump Effect. When a candidate with the most delegates has spent the least on advertising and gets twice as much earned media as all of his opponents combined, there’s something unusual at play.”

While a large piece will be spent in TV -- mostly local to a lesser extent on national TV platforms -- Borrell says “nearly half of that increase will go to radio, cable and online media, which are quickly becoming viable alternatives to already-clogged TV programming.”

Other political ad estimates have also been raised, and some analysts have said more advertising might be spent, especially when it comes to the Republican party, given its selected political action committees when it comes to “anti-Trump” marketing in specific states.