Winning the Political Ad Race

Do you have a well-planned strategy for going after political dollars this year? Do you know who your prospects are and how to reach them?

Recently, I attended a webinar hosted by Marketron in which political advertising experts from BIA Advisory Services discussed insights for being successful in the 2022 midterm political season. BIA Advisory Services is estimating this year’s midterm season will generate $8.4 billion in local ad dollars. The big winners will be TV OTA, TV Digital, OTT/CTV, and Radio OTA. The reality is that Radio will get the scraps of what is not spent on TV.

Radio is a powerful outlet for those who are trying to influence voters. Radio has the ability to engage people with a compelling message. The ability to target specific voting groups is just as important as the delivery of the message. Radio excels at this too.

So how does Radio get their fair share of the political ad budget? The BIA Advisory political experts suggest that radio:

• Contact local or state candidates who represent your area to discuss their advertising goals. What is their perception of Radio OTA in terms of increasing reach or frequency of their ad campaign?
• Is your market too expensive for TV? Or is the market already inundated with TV advertising? If so, a candidate or PAC can dominate Radio, where there is less clutter.
• Political campaigns need to be convinced that Radio is efficient and effective in reaching specific voting groups. Keep sending data, simplify transacting with you, and be ready with information on what makes a good radio spot.

At Research Director, Inc. we believe telling your story with qualitative information is vital to show potential advertisers (including political candidates) that you reach their desired consumer group or, in this case, their voter group. With Scarborough data, you can profile your radio station by political party, if they are registered to vote, how often they vote, and if they vote in local and statewide elections. You can also look at lifestyle aspects of your listeners and match to the issues of the candidates.

I cannot say this will be an easy road, yet you can win the Political Ad Race with a well-planned and executed strategy, which includes telling your story as it aligns with the candidate’s goals.