• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 22, 2012

Political values will become the next big audience targeting segment for brand marketers looking to link their products and services with a specific type of consumer. A couple of recent political ad targeting tools, one from Adiant, and the other by Google, have convinced me of the future of political ad segmentation.

While companies continue to build services for political advertisers, some don't stop to think of the targeting possibilities for other brands wanting to reach consumers. Simply put, brands should consider using political ad targeting segments to reach voters based on values, beliefs, and specific voting behavior, as well as other attributes motivating people to support a candidate or even go to the polls to vote.

Resonate said it surveys 4,500 consumers quarterly, and asks them a variety of questions ranging from political affiliation to brands. The data is used to help determine consumer values. The company takes the survey results and compares it with the average online population.

After adding basic demographic data, Resonate combines the data sets, which helps its clients target online ad campaigns. Using this information has helped clients garner higher click-through rates and brand engagement when compared with targeting based on just demographics, according to the company.