Local media sellers have a substantial opportunity to capture the revenue windfall from the 2024 election. Political advertising is fueling growth for radio stations. This money will come from local, state and national candidates, parties and PACs (political action groups). If you sell digital and linear, you are in the perfect position to offer these advertisers a multi-tactic campaign that engages voters and gets them to the polls.
Let’s review all the possibilities for the 2024 election cycle.
Radio Will See Spending and Should Get More of the Pie
Radio’s reach is unlike that of any other medium. It’s also a trusted media with community roots and decades of credibility. In our 2024 Radio Revenue Outlook, we reported expectations for radio in political advertising. The numbers range from $300 million to $500 million, a small piece of the projected billions.
A recent case study on radio’s political impact showcases its value. These findings included:
- Radio delivered a 12% bump in audience reach without impacting budget.
- Radio provided an additional 29% incremental reach among TV viewers who watch less than two hours per day.
- Radio created a 23% lift in engaging with unaffiliated voters, a key segment.
These are the data points, along with all the statistics about radio political advertisers, that you need to know. Are advertisers aware that 91% of people 18 and older listen to radio monthly? This devoted listening equates to 10.9 hours weekly.
Make sure they know this to ensure they are moving budgets from other traditional channels to radio. Also, keep in mind that the Federal Communications Commission’s rules about rates for “legally qualified candidates” don’t apply to PACs. These groups have deep pockets and want to reach all those who faithfully listen to your stations daily.
Pair Radio with Digital Political Advertising
Radio offers a foundation of reach. When you combine it with digital, ads perform better, and you expand revenue. Here are tactics and targeting options.
Digital targeting includes demographics, geography, interests and behaviors. Those apply to multiple tactics.
Targeted Display
Candidates, parties and PACs can get their message in front of the right audience with a variety of targeting options that serve on high-quality inventory. These can be static or video and can drive audiences to candidates’ websites to see information about their policies and voting.
Pre-Roll Video
Pre-roll video ads have targeting capabilities related to geography, behaviors and interests. With relevant content that shows the candidate and their values, these ads drive viewers to donate, support and vote for them. How effective can they be? Ad recall for pre-roll is significantly greater, and people consider the ads less interruptive than other video ad types.
Geofencing and Video Geofencing
Geofencing allows political advertisers to target people within geographic fences through their mobile devices. You can set up multiple fences that align with specific areas where potential voters spend time. Users in these areas could see ads for candidates and PACs.
It’s a valuable tactic, and mobile ads with geofencing have double the click-through rate of those without it. These targeted ads can deliver high performance that will excite political media buyers.
OTT and CTV
OTT/CTV ads were a huge success in political advertising in 2022. They are on track to be the fastest-growing digital tactic for 2024, according to analysis from BIA Advisory Services. Since people consume content differently, broadcast TV isn’t the only way to reach viewers. In fact, linear TV is lagging streaming in viewership. U.S. residents spend 37.7% of their time streaming TV, leading cable and broadcast.
Additionally, OTT and CTV have targeting options allowing political advertisers to reach their desired audience. Targeting capabilities include behaviors and interests, ZIP codes, states and DMAs (designated market areas). OTT can also target household demographics.
They can use the same creative from TV commercials, enabling them to track the ad’s impact with metrics.
Social Media Ads
Political advertising on social media has been a critical component of digital marketing strategies. Voters from all sides of the political spectrum use it. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat offer targeting options to help you identify voters with whom your message will resonate.
More than half of U.S. social media users get news from these websites. This can mean they are more likely to be looking for election information versus just using social media for entertainment.
There are rules about the content for some platforms. If you’re using a third-party digital platform, you can get guidance on this.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is essential to any candidate’s digital advertising efforts. As a “logged-in” channel, the inbox gets a person’s full attention, so it’s an ideal spot to engage constituents to spread messages, drive donations and get them to vote.
Political emails have an average open rate of 36.1% and a click rate of 2.6%. By using an email marketing solution like ours, you can offer a 100% bot-free guarantee and email-only delivery.
More Reasons You Can Win the Political Advertising Race
Use these points to state your case and make sure political advertisers see your value:
- You’re a local media partner who’s helped local and regional candidates execute and launch high-performing digital campaigns.
- The solutions you offer scale across the voter journey with ad types that create awareness and action.
- You can launch campaigns within days.
- They can buy digital and linear ads from a single media company to simplify the process.
- You and your third-party digital partner will ensure that ads comply with local and federal regulations.
- Advertisers can be confident that their ads will only appear on premium websites and channels.
- You can assist with creative services for email, rich media display ads and video.
You’re the complete package for political advertisers, and we’re the backbone for supporting the back end of proposing, ordering, executing and reporting.
Get more insights by visiting our political advertising toolbox.
