• by Tim Vanderhook , September 30, 2008

A vote for advanced targeting and technology

As the 2008 political campaigns reach the final stretch, it’s no surprise that campaign marketers are increasingly tapping into the power of the wired voter. With an estimated $50 million being spent on online political campaign marketing this year, according to eMarketer, it’s apparent that online campaigns are now a critical component of a winning election strategy.

Even with online campaigns entering the mainstream, a level of uncertainty still exists among marketers in terms of making strategic ad buys that will effectively move the needle with voters.

While traditional online solutions rely on basic technology to target ads adjacent to politically categorized content, new technology takes the process a significant step further. Campaign marketers can now reach specific groups of people with finely tuned ads based on more than 165 audience profiles including geography, party affiliation and interest in government issues. Suddenly the game is changing.

One challenge for candidates looking to advertise online is reaching uncommitted voters. In the past few years, candidates such as Howard Dean, Barack Obama and Ron Paul gained attention for their online grassroots efforts. While huge e-mail lists and Facebook groups can mobilize supporters, these methods do little to reach the elusive undecided voter. This is where smartly targeted advertising removes inefficiencies and reaches the right people.
Earlier this year, analysts reported that campaign managers still relied heavily on traditional media buys during the primary season, but this is expected to change in the coming elections. The key for ad buyers is to understand the potential of the medium and how to leverage it to the fullest extent.

The best political targeting solutions to date serve ads solely on sites broadly categorized as political content. But what about voters who go online to research issues? Recent studies have found that more than half of all U.S. voters use the Internet to find information on key terms in the news such as “health care” and “war in Iraq.”

The new breed of political targeting technology enables candidates and interest groups to communicate directly with undecided voters about the issues and solution strategies that most interest them. For instance, a 22-year-old living in California who receives an ad from a candidate about how they would solve the ills of our health-care system will do very little to sway that vote their way. However, an ad focused on net neutrality or public education will appeal to the same undecided voter who, for example, just researched those subjects yesterday. As political advertisers realize this potential, the online ad world makes a lot more sense than blasting an ad on television.

Since every move of a political campaign is scrutinized, campaign managers are typically cautious about where their candidate’s face is shown. For instance, an ad on the evening news is more or less considered neutral territory. But as Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who opposes gay marriage, found out when his ad appeared on the lifestyle site gay.com, the Internet poses many new challenges. Good technology can stop this from happening by ensuring ads only appear in the right context.

There is a learning curve with any new technology. Though online advertising is certainly not new, three or four years evaluating its political potential is nothing compared with the decades-long relationship politicians have with television. But as soon as campaign managers gain a formal understanding of advanced targeting technology, they are sure to reach and engage voters more efficiently and effectively.

There is no doubt among all of us who work in the online advertising world that the first candidate who allocates big budgets to the online medium will win with undecided voters — simply by speaking directly to them about the issues they care about.

Tim Vanderhook is CEO and co-founder, Specific Media.