Trudeau ads, for and against, spotted in the wild

This #sawanad thing is the only way Canadians can track where and when ads run. In US, political ad buys often public info.

— Stephen Maher (@stphnmaher) April 24, 2013

  Every time a political party announces a new ad — be it positive or negative — political journalists inevitably ask how much was spent producing the ad; how much is being spent buying airtime; and where the ad will be running. And, inevitably, the party who gets asked these questions declines to answer. But thanks to Twitter  and to helpful readers using the #SawAnAd hashtag, journalists are able to get some sense of an answer to that last question — where are the ads running — and, in doing so, get some hints about the demographic that a party is targeting with said ad.  

If you see an Anti-Trudeau ad, please tweet where, when and use #sawanad. Political ads are the new Asian Long-Horned Beetle.

— Tabatha Southey (@TabathaSouthey) April 15, 2013

That demographic question is important because it might tell us something about the party’s own intelligence in terms of the kind of voters it thinks are ready to respond to these ads. There two federal parties with ads on Canada’s airwaves right now.

Looks like #sawanad is about to get a little crowded.Remember to use that hashtag to log any *paid * ad from any party.

— Paul Wells (@InklessPW) April 24, 2013

The Conservative Party of Canada has been airing controversial anti-Trudeau ads for about two weeks now. (Maclean’s political editor Paul Wells has some interesting thoughts about the motives of the Tories for these ads) And just at the end of this last week, the Liberal Party of Canada has been airing an ad featuring Trudeau himself in which the Conservative ad has a brief cameo.

Relying on the #SawAnAd hashtag, we can report that the Conservative ad has aired during broadcasts of:

• SportsNet – Blue Jays games (vs Yankees Apr 27/13)
• SportsNet – soccer games
• Parks and Rec (CityTV – Toronto)
• Big Bang Theory (CTV)
• CTV News Channel (Atlantic)
• Sun News Network
• The Bourne Supremacy on CHCH (Apr 27/13)
• NBA Knicks vs Celtics on CHCH (Apr 27/13)
• Saturday Night Live (APr 27/13)

The #SawAnAd stream reports that the Liberal ad has aired during:

• CTV National News
• Glee (Global)
• Big Bang Theory (CTV)
• CBC Hockey Night in Canada (Leafs vs Habs Apr 27/13)
• CBC Hockey Night in Canada (Senatros vs Flyers Apr 27/13)
• The Amazing Race (CTV – Apr 27/13)

I’m sure there’s more to add to both lists so, help us out: Use twitter, send me an e-mail, or let me know in the comments section below where those ads are.