NBCUniversal Challenge
Problem
The 2014 Federal midterm elections may deliver a new record for midterm spending. Messaging and engagement of voters in crucial races will take priority. NBCUniversal (NBCU) would like to better understand the distribution of spending across Congressional Districts and Nielsen® DMAs (Designated Market Areas), as well as how they relate to markets with NBC owned-and-operated (O&O) and affiliate stations.
NBCU would like to use this data to better understand:
- Which key markets (DMA) present the greatest opportunities for engagement through advertising spending (e.g. – “tight-races”, “highest ratios of funds raised vs. funds spent in key races”, etc.)?
- What demographics are represented in those key markets (DMA) and how they relate to NBCU’s audience segments?
- Based on understanding the fundraising and spending patterns of the mid-term elections and the subsequent results, how best should NBCU posture for the upcoming mid-term and Presidential elections (2016)?
Develop a visualization (static or interactive) that reflects campaign spending, as provided the Federal Election Commission (FEC), by Committee, Candidate, and total Contributions by Individual for each Congressional District of the 113th Congress. This information should be triangulated with Nielsen® DMA and local station information.
Potentially relevant information for individual candidates may include:
- Spending by PAC (Political Action Committee)
- Party, PAC affiliation
- Individual contributions
- Ratio of funds raised and spent by PAC, Party
- Demographic data for candidates’ respective Congressional District
Data
- NBCU’s Owned & Operated (O&O) and Affiliates Stations by Designated Market Area: [NBCU-Provided File]
- Zip Codes by Market: [NBCU-Provided File]
Note 10/3/14: In the file, Philadelphia is misspelled as “Philadeplphia” - The Federal Election Commission provides detailed information about candidates, parties, and committees.
- The United States Census Bureau provides Congressional Districts Relationship Files by ZIP Code.
- The United States Census Bureau provides demographic information by Congressional District based on the on-going American Community Survey (ACS).
Want more data related to this challenge? Check out the Temple Library Analytics Challenge guide.
