How President Trump’s Covid-19 Diagnosis Will Shape Campaign Messaging as Election Day Nears

Ad spend fluctuates in the final weeks

President Donald Trump is back at the White House, plans to hit the campaign trail again soon and fully intends to participate in the second presidential debate set for next Thursday, two weeks after he went public with this Covid-19 diagnosis.

The president’s diagnosis and how Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign continues to respond to it, will shape the final 27 days of the 2020 campaign, marketing experts told Adweek.

The two candidates, perhaps the most crucial brands of 2020, are navigating the same tricky questions as other major advertisers this year: When do you pause a campaign? What is a brand-safe environment? And what do you say when the news cycle (and critical health advice) is changing so quickly?

Both candidates’ spending fluctuated immediately after Trump shared his diagnosis early Friday on Twitter, but in a pattern similar to the week before.

The

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