A reader asks, “Do you have any tips or best practices on how to get out in front of the political ad dollars…” Billboard Insider put the question out of home sale expert Kevin Gephart.
WIN #1: Selling Political candidates and ballot issue referendum messaging.
“All politics are local” is an axiom which proves OOH is the most powerful media to drive political campaigns and ballot referendums. Now is the time to pursue political candidates for the Fall primaries as well as the general election. A record $15.9 billion in US political ad spending (an average of $47.90 per person in the US) is expected for 2024 according to an assessment by GroupM. That is up 30% over the 2020 election cycle.
Check your Secretary of State’s website for political offices that have contested races and focus on the largest ones. This year’s election will feature the presidential election along with all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, 33 of the 100 US Senate seats and various local, state elections and referendums.
Work with your management to ensure you are following your company’s political advertising pricing/policies. Campaigns spend as they’re able to secure money, so ad buys come down very quickly, inhibiting advance planning. The biggest spend will come 4-8 weeks prior to the primary and/or the general election. You must build relationships now because there isn’t time when the money rolls in. “No” always means “no for now.” A single set of poll results, a large contribution, or a news story can change a campaign’s priorities in a flash. Assure your political candidate prospects you are available 24/7 to respond to their needs throughout the campaign. There are no weekends/holidays once a campaign gets into full swing.
In addition to individual candidates, build a bridge to the political party headquarters of the largest parties in your state. These leaders may have party money to spend and are likely called upon for media advice from the individual candidates.
Radio and TV stations are required to give the keys to the kingdom: FCC law requires all political ad inquiries and ad purchases for both radio and television stations be recorded in the stations public inspection files and be available to anyone free online.
As a door opener, use this quote from Political Communication: The Manship School Guide: “Outdoor Advertising has embraced the newest technology, and this has given it some unique advantages in the world of campaigns. The same elements that work for Madison Avenue when convincing people what to buy, also work for elections when convincing people how to vote.”
While political advertising can be a great boost to your billing in the second half of the year, don’t spend more than 15% of your time prospecting political advertising. These are largely one-time only, limited scope sales. Maintain your database of contacts from the current election because many of the same people will be involved in future campaigns.
Many larger campaigns are directed by specialty political advertising ad agencies. They are fixated on TV as the answer to every problem. Radio and TV must (by law) guarantee the lowest unit ad cost for candidates. Even at the lowest unit rate, typically OOH delivers lower cost per thousand impressions (views) and cost per rating point than radio or TV.
The advantages of OOH for political candidates are very powerful:
- OOH is yard signs on steroids!
- Digital OOH can move as fast as politics with high-reach, real-time messaging. Candidates can update their ads based on campaign appearances, news media interviews, new endorsements, and overall campaign conditions.
- OOH is scalable, it can be as big or as targeted as the candidate needs; it also allows geo-domination.
- OOH can target any socio-economic, ethnic group, or party persuasion.
- Messaging can be hyper-local, neighborhood driven.
- OOH reaches important, low-TV user segments: Gen-Z, Millennials, Soccer Moms, busy professionals, etc.
- OOH delivers all demographics for the same dollar; no need for multiple broadcast stations/programs and ad budgets to reach all voters.
- OOH provides “recency” (the theory that often people don’t make a decision until they are on their way to take action).
Most campaigns know which ZIP Codes are most important to their success, making OOH the obvious media of choice. If not, Nielsen Research provides info about which ZIP Codes tend to vote Democrat, Republican, and Independent.
WIN #2: Selling “bumped” general advertisers
Because the FCC requires radio/TV to “bump/pre-empt” general advertisers to make room for political advertisers, those local businesses whose ad campaign is taken off the air are in need of replacement advertising during the political season. Likely the advertisers who rely most on cheap broadcast rates are the most likely to be bumped. Pursuing these pre-empted advertisers pays big dividends and builds a loyal clientele going forward. Position OOH as pre-empt insurance. Begin right now to promise advertisers, in your email signature and social media profile, your company never pre-empts!!
OOH offers “environmental protection:” Many advertisers prefer to opt out of radio/TV during election seasons, to avoid having their ad stuck in a commercial break with several, generally negative, political ads which are likely to be tuned out.
The OAAA (OAAA.org) has, for their members, great research on the advantages of OOH for political advertisers.
If I can help your OOH company sell more political advertising faster, reach me at: KevinJGephart@gmail.com, or call 612-387-5349
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