POLITICAL ADVERTISING

Political Advertising Across Programmatic Media Strategies: A Comprehensive Guide

 

Political advertising has evolved significantly in recent years, especially with the rise of programmatic media strategies. Political campaigns now have access to powerful tools for targeting and engaging potential voters and donors across multiple digital channels. By leveraging advanced targeting capabilities, campaigns can maximize their reach and efficiency while ensuring that their messages are getting in front of the right audience at the right time.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore how political campaigns can strategically use various programmatic media strategies—display, video, Connected TV (CTV), audio, Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)—as well as mobile device identification (DID) technology, addressable household targeting, and leveraging 1st-party data and email lists to reach likely voters and donors.

​

1. Display Advertising

Display advertising involves placing banner ads, native ads, and other visual ads across websites that are part of the programmatic ecosystem. These ads can be highly targeted based on user behavior, interests, and demographics, making them a powerful tool for political campaigns.

Strategic Targeting for Likely Voters and Donors

• Behavioral Targeting: Display ads can target users based on their online behavior, such as visiting political news sites, engaging with other political content, or reading articles about policy issues. By understanding their interests and behaviors, campaigns can tailor their messages to appeal to specific issues or topics that resonate with them.

  • Example: If a voter frequently visits websites related to healthcare policy, the campaign could serve display ads promoting the candidate’s healthcare stance or upcoming healthcare town halls.

• Geographic Targeting: Display ads can be geographically targeted down to the zip code level, allowing campaigns to target specific districts or regions.

  • Example: A congressional candidate could use display ads to target voters in swing districts or battleground states.

• Retargeting: Using programmatic buying, campaigns can retarget voters who have previously interacted with their content (visited their website, engaged with social media posts, signed petitions, etc.). This increases the likelihood of conversion and ensures that their messaging remains top of mind.

​

2. Video Advertising

Video advertising has become one of the most effective ways to engage voters due to its emotional appeal and ability to convey a candidate’s message in a more impactful and engaging way. Video ads can be served on social media platforms, news sites, or through video-streaming platforms.

Strategic Targeting for Likely Voters and Donors

• Contextual Targeting: Video ads can be served based on the content users are consuming. For example, if a voter is watching a video about the economy or education, the campaign could serve a video ad about the candidate's stance on these issues.

  • Example: A candidate running on an economic reform platform could target voters watching videos related to job growth or taxation.

• Programmatic Video on Social Platforms: Campaigns can place video ads on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, leveraging the platforms’ demographic data to target specific voter segments.

  • Example: A candidate can target voters who follow certain political groups, are interested in specific policy areas, or have historically supported similar candidates.

• CTV (Connected TV): Connected TV (CTV) allows campaigns to run video ads on smart TVs, which is increasingly becoming a popular way for voters to consume content.

  • Example: A candidate could run an ad on platforms like Hulu, Roku, or YouTube TV, specifically targeting households within a district or battleground state that are likely to engage with the ad. This allows for both broad exposure and the opportunity to engage viewers with longer-form content, such as a detailed candidate message or policy explanation.

​

3. Connected TV (CTV) Advertising

CTV advertising is becoming an essential component of political advertising, especially as viewers are shifting away from traditional TV to streaming services. CTV allows for targeted advertising to users watching content on internet-connected devices.

Strategic Targeting for Likely Voters and Donors

• Geofencing and Behavioral Targeting: CTV ads can be served to households based on geographic targeting (e.g., targeting battleground states or districts). Behavioral targeting can also be used to serve ads to individuals who have exhibited a specific interest in political content, issues, or candidates.

  • Example: A candidate could target individuals watching political content on streaming platforms like Hulu or YouTube TV, using data about their interests and viewing behaviors to craft personalized messages that resonate with them.

• Cross-Device Targeting: With CTV, campaigns can also target users across different devices (smartphones, laptops, tablets), creating a unified and consistent message across channels.

  • Example: A CTV ad can be followed up with a display ad or a mobile app push notification to reinforce the candidate’s message across devices.

​

4. Audio Advertising

Audio advertising through programmatic channels allows campaigns to reach voters on platforms like Spotify, podcasts, and digital radio services. Audio is highly effective for targeting busy, on-the-go voters who may be listening during commutes, workouts, or household tasks.

Strategic Targeting for Likely Voters and Donors

• Contextual and Behavioral Targeting: Just as with video, audio ads can be contextually targeted. For example, ads can be placed within political podcasts or during political news segments on streaming radio.

  • Example: A candidate running on healthcare issues could place audio ads during a podcast discussing healthcare reform, reaching voters who are already interested in this issue.

• Geo-Targeting: Audio ads can be served based on the listener’s location, allowing campaigns to focus their messaging on specific regions, districts, or neighborhoods.

  • Example: A local candidate could serve audio ads to listeners within the district, discussing local issues or upcoming town hall meetings.

• Time-Based Targeting: Similar to other forms of programmatic advertising, audio ads can be scheduled for specific times of day to reach voters when they are most likely to be listening, such as during morning commutes or evening podcasts.

  • Example: A campaign could target evening commuters with an audio ad about their candidate's stance on economic issues as listeners drive home.

​

5. Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Advertising

DOOH advertising involves placing digital ads on billboards, screens in public spaces, and transit hubs. DOOH advertising is particularly powerful in reaching voters in high-traffic areas, such as city centers, shopping malls, and airports.

Strategic Targeting for Likely Voters and Donors

• Geofencing and Real-Time Contextual Targeting: Through programmatic DOOH, campaigns can geo-fence specific areas where voters are most likely to be and serve dynamic, real-time ads based on factors like location, weather, or time of day.

  • Example: A candidate could run ads at a busy transit station targeting commuters during rush hour, emphasizing a message that resonates with the working-class voters who are likely to pass by the screen.

• Dynamic Messaging: DOOH allows for real-time updates, so campaigns can modify their messages based on current events, weather, or the latest polling data, ensuring that their messaging remains relevant and timely.

​

6. Mobile Device Identification (DID) Technology & Polygon Targeting

Mobile Device Identification (DID) technology allows campaigns to track and target specific mobile devices by their unique identifiers. By drawing polygons around precise locations, political campaigns can identify and reach voters who visit specific locations or engage with certain events.

Strategic Targeting Using DID and Polygon Technology

• Geofencing and Location-Based Targeting: DID technology allows campaigns to create virtual boundaries (polygons) around important locations, such as polling places, campaign events, political rallies, or key voter neighborhoods. When a mobile device enters or exits a defined area, the campaign can serve targeted ads or messages to those voters.

  • Example: A campaign can place a geofence around a polling station and target users in the vicinity with ads encouraging them to vote or with information on the candidate’s stance on local issues.

• Event-Based Targeting: DID can also be used to target individuals who attend political rallies, town halls, or other events. Once a device enters a specified area, the campaign can push targeted ads to the user after the event, thanking them for their participation or urging them to donate.

  • Example: After a candidate’s rally, the campaign can follow up with an ad on social media or through a mobile app asking attendees to contribute to the campaign.

​

7. Addressable Household Targeting & Leveraging 1st-Party Data

Addressable Household Targeting allows campaigns to serve targeted ads to individual households based on specific criteria, such as voting history, demographics, and interests. This can be combined with 1st-party data, such as email lists, to improve targeting accuracy.

Strategic Targeting Using 1st-Party Data

• Voter File Data: Using databases that contain voter registration data, campaigns can identify households that are likely to support their candidate based on voting history, party affiliation, and demographic information.

  • Example: A campaign could target likely Democratic voters in a swing state with tailored messages about the candidate’s stance on healthcare and the economy.

• Email List Targeting: If a campaign has collected email lists from previous donors, event attendees, or website visitors, they can upload these lists into programmatic ad platforms to target those individuals across display, video, and audio channels. This enables the campaign to retarget existing supporters or engage with undecided voters.

  • Example: A campaign could upload a list of past donors and serve them with ads asking for a new donation or promoting a fundraising event.

• Lookalike Audiences: Using first-party data, campaigns can create lookalike audiences—groups of voters who share similar traits to known supporters, such as demographics, political engagement, and interests.

  • Example: A campaign could upload a list of voters who have attended past rallies and use lookalike modeling to identify other potential voters who may be interested in attending future events.

​

Programmatic media strategies offer political campaigns the ability to target and engage with potential voters and donors in ways that are more efficient, data-driven, and personalized than ever before. By using a combination of display, video, CTV, audio, DOOH, DID technology, and leveraging 1st-party data, political campaigns can strategically get in front of the right voters at the right time, increasing their chances of success in the competitive and fast-paced world of modern elections.