US candidates using Facebook to post real-time political ads
During the US Presidential campaign, the Republican Party's campaign team has been trying to broaden its reach with real-time targeted Facebook, viewable on the web moments after events occur during live debates. Facebook research shows that nearly three quarters of all television viewers access one other screen whilst watching television, and 85% of those are turning to Facebook. Trying to capitalise on this, Facebook is selling advertisers real-time "accelerated delivery" ads, a format it launched in August. Facebook has such a vast amount of data about its users that its ad platform can sort users into segmented audiences for specific targeting. Candidates are expected to spend more than $1bn on digital ads during this election. 

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz managed to elbow into the spotlight for a brief moment during the first GOP debate when he called on the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Planned Parenthood.

Moments later, an image of a fetus appeared on the Newsfeeds of thousands of Facebook users selected by the Cruz campaign along with the word "Prosecute" stamped in red over the social program's logo and a button supporters could click to voice their agreement.

While GOP candidates jostle for attention on a crowded stage during televised debates, their campaign staffers are scrambling to amplify their declarations and quips on another screen with real-time targeted Facebook ads that can hit the web just minutes after they happen.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Vermont. Credit: Charlie Neibergall

"It's about being able to mirror what's happening on stage with the messaging we're putting out online," says Cruz's digital director John Thompson. "It's allowed us to deliver a message when the senator is on the forefront of most people's minds."

Nearly three quarters of all television viewers now tune into at least one other screen -- a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop -- "constantly or very often" as they watch traditional TV, according to Facebook's market research.

Of those who use that screen to check in on a social network, the company claims 85% head to Facebook at some point during their viewing time.

Facebook wants to capitalize on these habits by selling advertisers new real-time "accelerated delivery" ads first released in August. These ads are designed to glom onto conversations about live televised events, sports games or news announcements, employing Facebook's precise targeting powers in hopes of reaching people while they watch.

Carly Fiorina campaigning in Clear Lake, Iowa in August. Credit: Charlie Riedel

And with viewers turning out in record numbers to watch the 2016 Republican candidate debates, GOP presidential hopefuls seeking to boost their profile are a natural customer for such ads, said Annie Lewis, who handles conservative clients for Facebook's political ads team.

Facebook's ads platform can sort users into specific audiences with pinpoint accuracy. It can trace out a segment of people who have donated to the campaign as well as a "look-a-like" group of people with similar profiles to donors that campaigns can ask for money. It also uses web history, interests and "Likes" to guess which issues users care most about.

Ads can then be beamed out to perceived like-minded crowds to ask for money, solicit newsletter sign-ups or rally petitions, among other things.

Candidates are expected to spend more than $1 billion on digital ads this election, according to a report from Borrell Associates(opens in a new tab), more than any past election.

But campaign staffers say the fleeting seconds when their candidate actually commands the attention of a big TV audience are still often the make-or-break moments for winning over new supporters.

"We get in front of a lot of eyeballs very quickly so we can bring in tens of thousands of new leads of people who've signed onto the campaign in just a matter of couple hours," says Ken Dawson, head of marketing for the Ben Carson campaign. "Normally it would take us at least a couple days to get that kind of reach."