Chapter 0, Problem 1EAGP1

Campaign Management

A politician is trying to win election to the city council, and as his campaign manager, you need to decide how to promote the candidate. There are three ways you can do so: You can send glossy, full-color pamphlets to registered voters of the city; you can run a commercial during the television news on a local cable network; and/or you can buy a full page ad in the newspaper.

Two hundred fifty thousand voters live in the city, and $36\%$ of them read the newspaper. Fifty thousand voters watch the local cable network news, and $30\%$ of them also read the newspaper.

You also know that the television commercial would cost $\$40,000$; the newspaper ad, $\$27,000$; and the pamphlets mailed to voters, 90 cents each, including printing and bulk rate postage.

Suppose that the success of the candidate depends on your campaign reaching at least $125,000$ voters and that because your budget is limited, you must achieve this goal at a minimum cost. What would be your plan and the cost of that plan?

If you need help devising a method of solution for this problem, try answering the following questions first.

How many voters in the city read the newspaper but do not watch the local cable television news?