It seems there’s another certainty of life to add to the old “death and taxes” trope, at least during an election year: political ads. We’re right in the thick of it now, less than two weeks out from voting day. Not only are the commercials crowding our television screens, but they’re also calling us at home, reaching out through social media, and showing up in our mailboxes and on our doorsteps. There are studies that say political marketing helps to sway voters who are on the fence – most political ads right now are focused on those all-important swing states like Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, Colorado and Florida. There are also studies that say it has only a temporary impact, as most voters at this stage of the game are already decided and won’t change their minds. And with the Super PACs jumping into the game, it all makes for an interesting show. Fact checkers are working overtime, for sure.
We’re seeing much more sophisticated advertising campaigns from the political arena, which is no surprise given the data available to campaign marketers now, and their massive budgets. We basically have real-time assessments of an ad’s effectiveness as well. Oh sure, they’re still sending out mailers and knocking on doors, but with much more efficiency and precision. Of course, for those of us in the ad industry, all of this targeted messaging is old hat, and I think we’ve been waiting for politicians to “get it” – to understand that you can’t speak to everyone in the same voice (or language) and expect results. And with those impressive advertising budgets, it shouldn’t be that difficult for future campaigns to continue down this path.
Do I think that presidential candidates in the 2016 election will be targeting the hardest-to-reach segments of our population? Not really; at least not for the next few election cycles. But I do think, as political campaigns play catch up to the pioneering stuff we’re doing in the ad industry with research and technology, it’s likely that those in charge of the political campaigns will come to realize the value of digging deep into their constituencies.
Don’t forget to vote on Nov. 6!
-Natalie Rhymer