Pete Hammond

EXCLUSIVE: With an expected audience of up to 60 million for tonight’s first debate between President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, This would seem a no-brainer. So marketers behind Steven Spielberg’s upcoming biopic Lincoln will try to take advantage of the tailor-made audience most likely to be interested in the film about the most famous U.S. President. I’ve learned that  Dreamworks Studios through its distributor Disney has purchased ad time on ABC, CBS and CNN for a special extended 2-minute spot of their big Oscar hopeful Lincoln. It will run during the first commercial break following the debate and it will feature new footage not yet made public. The film, whose buzz claims it’s much different than any pic Spielberg has done before, goes into limited release three days after the election, on November 9th, with a wide break the following Friday. The film’s release date, according to reports, was chosen specifically not to have any perceived effect on the actual contest while still reaching the audience most engaged in that election. Other key viewers likely to see the ad are Academy voting members, a key constituency whom Dreamworks  also would like to reach when the results of their Oscar votes are announced on February 24th.

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