Political advertising lessons from the Doug Jones versus Roy Moore race

The Senate special election between Doug Jones and Roy Moore in Alabama led to a surprise victory for the Democrat candidate, and also has some useful advertising lessons.

Doug Jones' victory over Roy Moore in Alabama's special election marked the first time a Democrat has beaten a Republican in a Senate election in the Yellowhammer State for 25 years.

But as the partisan dust starts to settle following a result described by various media outlets as "shocking" (USA TODAY), an "earthquake" (POLITICO), and even a "miracle" (Newsweek), some of the lessons for political advertising also are beginning to take shape.

Provisional estimates from Borrell Associates, the Williamsburg, Virginia-based research firm, suggest that $11 million was spent on advertising during an especially fraught campaign, the contours of which were...

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