Mallory Ward
Labor Day weekend not only marks the end of summer and return to school – it’s also the unofficial start to the political ad season. With the midterm elections less than 2 months away, campaigns will be in the final sprint to make their case and get out the vote – on the airways, on your screens, in your mailboxes and at your doorsteps.
According to a recent Axios article, nearly $3.6 billion has already been spent this year – putting 2022 on track to be the most expensive midterm election by ad spend. While the majority of political ad spending is on broadcast, digital/connected TV are becoming a bigger piece of the pie.
So, how do you stand out in a crowded environment and effectively use paid media to get your message across?
- Define your audience. Be specific about who you are trying to reach and take the time to understand them – who they are, where they consume information, the messages that will be the most compelling and the creative that will resonate. We use research, analytics and sophisticated datasets to help us get smart.
- Stand out with creative. Use visuals and storytelling to break through with your message. Some of my favorite days are when we brainstorm about out-of-the-box ideas. Most of them stay on the white board, like my recent superhero comic strip idea, but the ones that rise to the top are smart, fun and engaging. When time and budget allow, we use research to help us refine content for maximum impact by testing and updating our creative.
- Build a highly targeted plan. Put those audience insights to work and develop a media plan that meets audience(s) where they are. For most of our clients looking to reach niche audiences of policymakers and health care leaders, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to run television commercials. Instead, we target stakeholders as they are on social media, reading the news, or engaging with other content online.
- Learn and optimize. Launching the campaign is just the beginning of the process. It’s important to closely monitor creative, targeting and budgets along the way. We work with clients to double down on what’s working well and adjust if performance isn’t where we want it to be.
We’re continuously thinking about how paid media can help our clients effectively and efficiently reach their target audience and amplify their message. Reach out to brainstorm with us on how paid media can help you break through.