Marty Kaplan

Both Obama and McCain will make huge efforts on Election Day to turn out their bases -- the revved-up Reds and Blues. But it's still likely that the outcome will depend on the Purples, the swing voters in the middle.

Who are they? Working with Zogby International, the Norman Lear Center has now been in the field twice to find out. Our most recent survey of more than 3,000 people was conducted August 19-21. To figure out what color people were, we didn't rely on party identification or candidate preference; instead, we asked 42 questions about political values. Those answers reliably clumped into three groups -- Reds, Blues and Purples.

But we didn't just ask them about politics. We asked about what kind of entertainment they liked, how they spent their leisure time, where they got their news, and dozens of other questions about their appetites. What makes this poll cool -- and unique -- are the ways we can correlate political values to their lifestyles and cultural preferences.

So if you're a candidate and you want to reach Purples, where do you reach them, and what do they want to hear?

Finding Purples

• All politics is still local. Purples trust and rely on their local newspapers for news. Fifty-eight percent prefer their hometown paper, five times more than any national or major city daily. So in addition to making a local stop, push local surrogates to deliver your message.

• Stick with 30-second spots. TV was tops when Purples were asked what they like to do in their free time.

• NBC is still king. Purples most trust old pro Tom Brokaw, followed by Nightly News anchor Brian Williams.

• Don't preach to the choir if you are McCain. Few Purples tune in to Fox News.

• Top TV shows to buy ad time on: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 60 Minutes, CSI, Sunday Night Football, House, Two and a Half Men, Law & Order and Criminal Minds.

• Avoid reality shows. More than a 25% never watch them, and American Idol is the only one to reach double figures (11%.)

• Letterman and Leno give you the best bang for the buck on late night, but 25% of Purples are already asleep by then.