Political Marketing Tips for Down-Ballot Races

In a typical presidential election year, about 50% of eligible voters cast a ballot for the president. But a third or more of these voters don’t bother checking the boxes for down-ballot contests.

Political marketing is therefore all the more important for down-ballot candidates — like governors, state legislature, judges, etc.

The most savvy of these political marketers will be spending on local CTV. And no, you don't have to be Alexandria Ocasio Cortez or Ted Cruz to take advantage.

While TV advertising has historically been out of reach for local campaigns with smaller budgets, streaming TV has democratized the playing field, allowing candidates up and down the ballot to connect with potential voters on a big screen. 

Here are six reasons why every down-ballot campaign should take advantage of CTV advertising in their political marketing strategy.

The most obvious advantage that down-ballot candidates see from CTV advertising is hyper-local targeting. 

Congressional and legislative districts don't necessarily line up with traditional linear DMAs or zip codes. Targeting by these standard maps can lead to significant wasted ad spend while simultaneously missing key portions of your target audience.

With the right ad platform for streaming TV, you can make sure every impression (and every ad dollar!) counts by using ultra-specific geographies. You have the option to reach traditional DMAs and zip codes, but you can also target potential voters by congressional district and zip radius.

Location isn't the only variable when it comes to getting voters to the ballot box. 

Like other forms of digital advertising, CTV platforms offer varied targeting capabilities that allow political marketers to tailor their messages to specific voter groups. Whether it’s reaching undecided voters, specific ethnic communities, or voters interested in particular issues, CTV helps refine targeting to an extent previously unavailable in traditional TV advertising.

Of course, you need the right data to do this. Party-affiliated data providers like Data Trust and Target Smart use voter history, polling data, and consumer data to access millions of voters across America. Additionally, Madhive partners (including L2, Stirista, Experian, and TransUnion) offer high-fidelity political data segments that yield a more accurate reach. These segments are based on sources including state/county voter files, federal elections commissions, and credit bureau data. 

Once you have a highly specific targeting strategy, you're able to deploy very targeted messaging, too. For example, you may choose to target parents with messaging about education or outdoor enthusiasts with messaging about the environment. Delivering a more relevant ad increases the likelihood of someone taking action. 

You can no longer count on linear TV to reach all voters. By the end of 2025, 75% of U.S. households will have cut the cord from traditional telco, cable, and satellite TV providers. 

One of the significant advantages of CTV is its ability to provide incremental reach, connecting with voters who may not be accessible via linear TV alone. Many voters, especially young voters, have moved away from traditional television viewing, preferring streaming services. 

In fact, according to Madhive data, 25% of the impressions from early political CTV ads were delivered to OTT-only audiences; that means these candidates would never have reached these viewers if they didn't run a CTV ad.     

The lesson? CTV allows campaigns to reach cord-cutters and cord-nevers effectively.

Even the best marketers sometimes make assumptions about their audiences — but it's important to validate those assumptions. CTV platforms can help you determine and reach the most receptive audience for your messaging.

For example, we recently worked with a client that assumed their ideal customer profile (ICP) was a high-income, two-parent household with extreme technology competency. Using the Madhive platform, in-house data profiling, and look-alike modeling, they discovered their audience assumptions were not the most likely to convert.

Instead, they found their offering resonated best with:

• Families on both the younger and older side with modest incomes

• Multi-generational households

• Married but also single parent households

You may assume that young, female voters would be most receptive to your messaging about women's rights, for example. CTV technology can help you validate this assumption and optimize your ad spend.

We've all been there — the same ad plays for the sixth time in one sitting, and it's just too much. Ad fatigue is real and can turn your potential voters off. This is all the more important for down-ballot races, where you’re already working hard to motivate the viewer. 

CTV allows you to employ frequency caps to make sure you're not overexposing the same viewers. You can even take advantage of cross-channel frequency caps to avoid overexposure across each viewer's various screens.

Unlike traditional TV ads, CTV campaigns can be tested and optimized in real-time. Campaigns can analyze the performance of different ad variants, adjust messaging based on viewer engagement, and shift budget allocations to the most effective ads.

This flexibility is critical in a fast-paced political environment where voter sentiments can shift quickly.

For example, many Madhive clients use in-flight optimization to iterate quickly on campaigns, testing creatives, locations, and placement. Through this continuous optimization, they're able to increase return on ad spend, increase site traffic, and ultimately drive more revenue.

While revenue goals aren't the priority for down-ballot races, maximizing awareness and action is — and optimization is exceptionally important when working with smaller budgets that don’t have money to waste. 

CTV is transforming political marketing by offering targeted, flexible, and measurable advertising solutions that are changing the game for down ballot races. For political campaigns looking to deepen voter connections and increase voter turnout, embracing CTV's capabilities could be the key to a winning strategy. 

Read more about political CTV campaigns here: 

• Political Advertising Techniques — Plan to Win with CTV

• Political Pulse: Key Races Are Driving CTV Impressions