As the political landscape evolves, so does political advertising. The 2024 election cycle is poised to bring about significant changes in how campaigns reach voters. New projections from GroupM, one of the world’s largest paid advertising agencies, suggest that political ad revenue will reach nearly $16 billion in 2024, or $17.1 billion including direct mail.¹

• Although the majority of political advertising spend in the U.S. goes to local broadcast TV, an increasing amount is moving toward digital channels.¹
• Connected TV (CTV) advertising, or video ads that run on digital TV sets connected to the internet, is one of the fastest-growing segments. CTV offers campaigns the ability to target their ads more narrowly to voters with certain interests, instead of just age and gender demographics.¹

The onslaught of political ads in the U.S. has widespread implications for industries outside of politics.

• Advertisers have been forced to adjust their marketing strategies during election years to avoid inventory competition on local broadcasts.
• Political ads tend to falsely inflate growth rates for traditional media channels like newspapers and television, helping them to stay afloat longer than they otherwise would.

Guidance for Advertisers

Given the dynamic nature of politics, advertisers must be prepared for last-minute changes or pre-emptions. Plan ahead for potential TV ad pre-emptions or proactively shift dollars to CTV and shared mail to increase reach and response with an integrated advertising strategy.

• Print + digital media drive 69% of purchase influence.³
• 60% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after seeing an ad offline and online.⁴
• Advertisers achieve a 39% lift in consumer awareness when print is integrated with digital campaigns vs. single media campaigns, and they obtain a 30% lift in response when print and digital media are combined. ⁴
• 51% of US adults regularly or occasionally receive a print ad that encourages them to go online for more information or to make a purchase from the advertiser. That number jumps to 67% for Gen Z consumers.⁵

Consistent brand delivery increases revenue by 23% on average according to Advertising Week reports. Advertisers should diversify their marketing mix with coordinated multi-channel campaigns to maximize reach and response and avoid disruption due to pre-emption by political advertising.

Potential for Disruption

The 2024 U.S. presidential election is projected to drive an all-time high in political ad spending in the country.

Political Advertising Spending in the United States Election Cycles

2014 – 2024, by Medium (in billion U.S. Dollars)

Broadcast TV has been the largest recipient of political advertising spending in the United States, with $5.1 billion in ad buys forecast for the 2024 presidential elections. On the other hand, digital video spending was forecast to decrease from $1.4 billion in 2022 to 1.2 billion dollars in 2024. Connected TV (CTV) was expected to add up to 1.3 billion dollars.²

OTT and CTV are powered by audience targeting on big and small screens and make a cost-effective and impactful way to deliver turnkey video ads to your target audience. OTT/CTV ads can be integrated with your mail campaigns, amplifying reach, frequency & performance.

• OTT (Over The Top) is a term that covers the delivery of how the content is served. With OTT, your ad is delivered to consumers through downloaded apps (HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, etc.)
• CTV (Connected TV) advertising is delivered to consumers through internet-connected television such as smart TVs, gaming consoles or streaming devices.

This video channel allows you to reach consumers streaming on all screens down to the household-level with non-skippable ads for the highest video completion rates, averaging 98%. Linear TV subscribers can be excluded from these campaigns.  

Now is the time to modify your advertising plan to compensate for inventory shortages this fall. Click “Get Started” below to connect with an expert to discuss your goals.

Sources: U.S. political ad market projected to reach record $16 billion in 2024, axios.com¹; Political advertising spending in the United States election cycles from 2014 to 2024, by medium, statista.com²; Source: advertisingweek.com, 3 Reasons Why Brand Consistency Should Be Top Priority); Prosper Insights & Analytics Monthly MBI³; ANA Response Rate Report⁴; USPS Mail Moments 2023⁵