3 Ways Political Ad Spending Will Affect Your Paid Media Campaigns

1. Increased Ad Clutter

With political ads flooding traditional and digital media platforms, customers’ attention spans are dividing across several messages. This fragmentation diminishes the individual impact of each ad and enhances the need for a balance of reach and frequency among your target audiences. Cutting through the clutter is even more challenging for non-political campaigns trying to capture audience engagement, however it’s a core part of strategic media planning. 

The three channels that will receive the highest amount of political spending are: Broadcast TV ($5.1 billion); Cable TV ($1.9 billion); and CTV ($1.3 billion). Your media planners need to account for political ad spending estimates and trends to navigate ad space and maintain brand safety. 

Digital and paid social media channels will also be impacted by the heavy political advertising spending. Similar to previous election cycles, expect to see CPMs rise on digital channels as inventory gets tighter. On Meta, media planners need to plan ahead for a potential ad restriction period, as seen with recent elections.

2. Rising Advertising Costs

The demand for advertising space during election seasons drives up prices, making it costlier for non-political campaigns to secure prime placements. 

Using zero- and first-party data as well as contextual targeting in your paid media campaigns is instrumental in developing cost-effective media strategies. Your media team should implement a tailored data strategy as part of your media plan, to meet your target audiences where they want to be reached online, ensuring increased return on investment. By being strategic in your targeting and data strategy, you can avoid the costly competition of broadly targeted campaigns and ensure you are reaching the right audience where they are already spending their time online.

3. Shifted Consumer Focus

During election cycles, attention naturally gravitates towards political news, debates, and candidate coverage. Non-political campaigns may struggle to capture audience engagement as customers divert their focus towards the political landscape. Your media plans should proactively account for critical dates during the election cycle so that you’re maximizing impact across your consumer base. 

Need Help Navigating Paid Media in Election Cycles?

Election cycles can be overwhelming—but this doesn’t mean your marketing efforts should suffer! Need help election-proofing your advertising? Let’s talk today about how the Marketing Doctor team can support you and your campaigns. 

Planning Your Ad Dollars Strategically During Election Seasons

The 2024 election season is expected to break political ad spending records. According to industry reports, 2024 will witness the highest political ad spend ever recorded—the current forecast projects $10.2 billion. This surge in spending means increased competition for advertising space across a variety of channels, including television, digital platforms, and print media. No matter your brand, industry, or message, your campaign will be impacted. In fact, it’s affected every election season, just particularly more so in presidential election years.

Here are three ways the political season affects your advertising efforts.

3 Ways Political Ad Spending Will Affect Your Paid Media Campaigns

1. Increased Ad Clutter

With political ads flooding traditional and digital media platforms, customers’ attention spans are dividing across several messages. This fragmentation diminishes the individual impact of each ad and enhances the need for a balance of reach and frequency among your target audiences. Cutting through the clutter is even more challenging for non-political campaigns trying to capture audience engagement, however it’s a core part of strategic media planning. 

The three channels that will receive the highest amount of political spending are: Broadcast TV ($5.1 billion); Cable TV ($1.9 billion); and CTV ($1.3 billion). Your media planners need to account for political ad spending estimates and trends to navigate ad space and maintain brand safety. 

Digital and paid social media channels will also be impacted by the heavy political advertising spending. Similar to previous election cycles, expect to see CPMs rise on digital channels as inventory gets tighter. On Meta, media planners need to plan ahead for a potential ad restriction period, as seen with recent elections.

2. Rising Advertising Costs

The demand for advertising space during election seasons drives up prices, making it costlier for non-political campaigns to secure prime placements. 

Using zero- and first-party data as well as contextual targeting in your paid media campaigns is instrumental in developing cost-effective media strategies. Your media team should implement a tailored data strategy as part of your media plan, to meet your target audiences where they want to be reached online, ensuring increased return on investment. By being strategic in your targeting and data strategy, you can avoid the costly competition of broadly targeted campaigns and ensure you are reaching the right audience where they are already spending their time online.

3. Shifted Consumer Focus

During election cycles, attention naturally gravitates towards political news, debates, and candidate coverage. Non-political campaigns may struggle to capture audience engagement as customers divert their focus towards the political landscape. Your media plans should proactively account for critical dates during the election cycle so that you’re maximizing impact across your consumer base. 

Need Help Navigating Paid Media in Election Cycles?

Election cycles can be overwhelming—but this doesn’t mean your marketing efforts should suffer! Need help election-proofing your advertising? Let’s talk today about how the Marketing Doctor team can support you and your campaigns.