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Why the Political Industry Must Catch Up with Digital Advertising

Updated: Sep 23

Understanding the Current Landscape


For decades, the political arena led the charge in innovative messaging. Techniques like direct mail and SMS/MMS texting were first used in campaigns before the corporate world adopted them. However, that trend has shifted dramatically. Today, commercial advertisers are far ahead, leaving politics to lag behind.


The Shocking Numbers


In 2025, the average American will spend nearly eight hours a day consuming digital media across various devices. If you want to reach voters effectively, you must focus on where they spend their time.


In 2024, commercial marketers allocated 78% of their ad budgets to digital platforms. In contrast, politics only allocated 36%—an increase from 27% in 2020. However, the gap between these two industries has widened, from 36 points in 2020 to 42 points in 2024.


Unless you believe that the most sophisticated commercial advertisers are mistaken, the political industry must ask itself: What are we doing? There are understandable reasons for this disparity, but none justify ignoring the trend any longer.


The New Reality Is Here


In 2016, 82% of American households had cable or satellite service. That number has now plummeted to about 35%, and the decline continues. Meanwhile, 85% of Americans watch YouTube. Linear TV is in a structural decline, and no business model can reverse this trend. This shift isn't due to poor management; it's a technological evolution. Just as radio lost to television, linear platforms are now losing ground.


Why Commercial Advertisers Are More Efficient


In the commercial sector, every tactic is evaluated with one key question: Did it increase sales or improve brand reputation? Results and efficiency are paramount.


If you had predicted a few years ago that you could watch an NFL game without seeing a beer or McDonald's ad, people would have laughed. Yet, here we are.


Corporate advertisers constantly test platforms, track performance, and manage costs. This approach keeps them ahead in a rapidly changing media landscape.


Why Politics Operates Differently


Political campaigns often work in silos. Research, creative, production, and placement are typically handled by separate vendors, reporting to a small internal team. Measuring ad effectiveness usually involves tracking poll numbers before and after an ad run—numbers influenced by countless external factors.


Few campaigns invest in understanding how to deliver messages more efficiently. They focus on winning this election rather than building data for the future. While national party committees could fill this gap, individual campaigns often prioritize immediate cash flow. This focus is understandable; their job is to win now.


How Campaigns Allocate Their Budgets


In politics, spending habits are shaped by past successes rather than potential efficiency gains.


However, the math is clear: reaching the same number of people with the same frequency costs less on digital platforms than on linear TV. Unlike linear buys, which are sold by Designated Market Area (DMA) regardless of district lines, digital allows you to reach only the voters who matter.


For instance, if you're running for Congress in the Washington, D.C. DMA, a TV buy wastes much of your budget on people outside your district. That's built into the model.


Until campaigns recognize that digital can be just as persuasive—and far more efficient—the industry will remain stuck in a “dance with who brought you” mindset.


The Advantage Lies in Precision


Switching to digital isn't about a simple dollar-for-dollar swap from TV. The true advantage comes from precision.


Digital can target registered voters in your exact district, narrowing by partisanship, voting history, age, gender, and key issues. Campaigns can test languages, creative formats, and even influencer partnerships. Ads featuring influencer content, for example, have produced 42% higher engagement than standard creative.


The right mix varies by platform, language, and audience. The only way to find out is to test and measure.


The Bottom Line: Embrace Digital Now


Commercial advertisers have already transitioned to digital because it works. It reaches the right people where they spend their time, offers better targeting, and is more cost-effective.


Politics must follow suit—quickly. This means reducing reliance on linear TV, increasing smart digital investments, and adapting to how voters consume media in 2025. The first party to align its media strategy with modern consumption patterns will gain a significant, measurable advantage.


Discover how Campaign Trend helps political professionals stay sharp in a fast-changing industry, learn more here.




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