Digital political ad spend will reach $1 billion this year, but the way these dollars are being invested has changed drastically in just a single election cycle. In AOL’s recent report, The Political Advertising Pulse, we highlight three key digital trends that savvy political advertisers should harness to break through the clutter and see results in real time and on Election Day.

1. THE POLITICAL
ADVERTISING PULSE
THREE WAYS TO WIN WITH DIGITAL

2. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 1
Only one-third of political marketers and agencies claim they feel excited about the political advertising season.
Meanwhile, the rest either dread it or are indifferent.1
But there are plenty of unique digital opportunities to get
excited about. Here are three key trends savvy political advertisers can capitalize on to break through the noise
and win big--both in real time and on Election Day.
AS THE CAMPAIGN HEATS UP,
THE PRESSURE IS ON.
MOBILE IS
THE NEW TV
PROGRAMMATIC
EFFICIENCIES ARE
DRIVING POLITICAL
INVESTMENTS
PROGRAMMATIC +
CREATIVE WILL HELP
DETERMINE WHO
MAKES IT TO THE
OVAL OFFICE
1 2 3

3. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 2
Demand for sight, sound and motion whenever,
wherever is igniting video growth across every screen.
The 2016 election winners will be those who can create
emotional connections with voters in this mobile-­first,
video-led world.
“Voters are with their mobile devices
constantly, so candidates that embrace
mobile have a much better chance of
making a personal connection with a
voter. On a mobile device, you can tailor
a 10-­second message based on one
specific issue that you know that voter
cares about.”
—MICHAEL BALABANOV, AOL
MOBILE IS THE NEW TV
of voters report
that most of their
smartphone apps are
for social media.3
29%
53%
The average American spends 3 hours on
mobile devices per day, with 87% of that time
spent in-app.2
1
of political advertisers
increased digital and
mobile spend from
2012 to 2016.4
THE RISE OF MOBILE VIDEO
50% of US viewers watched more mobile video in 2015
than in 2014.5
When trying to reach Millennial voters,
mobile video is key: 37% of Millennials have watched
a political video on a smartphone compared to 15%
of Gen X’ers and 7% of Boomers.6

4. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 3
P R O G R A M M A T I C A D V E R T I S I N G
A L L O W S C A N D I D A T E S T O :
1. Target voters based on geography, online and offline
behaviors and political sentiment.
2. Use vast amounts of reliable data to deploy campaign
ads that scale with unprecedented speed.
3. Measure how a specific ad performs across all voter
segments.
Programmatic advertising helps automate the decision-­making process of media planning and buying by targeting
specific audiences at scale-­-­now accounting for more than $15B in overall ad spend.7
The outcome of the election will be
heavily impacted by political ad campaigns that effectively capitalize on automation and data, the key to unlocking and
engaging with voters throughout their pre-­election journey.
PROGRAMMATIC EFFICIENCIES
ARE DRIVING POLITICAL INVESTMENTS
of political digital
ad spend is allocated
to programmatic
placement in digital and
mobile advertising.8
51%
“Trusted programmatic platform
partners allow you to pick content that
results in the highest engagement with
your candidate’s message, and allow for
serious depth in choosing exactly the
content that fits your targets.”
—MATT ROSS, AOL
2

5. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 4
PROGRAMMATIC + CREATIVE
WILL HELP DETERMINE WHO
MAKES IT TO THE OVAL OFFICE
In an age where voters have always-­on access and control
over political conversations, it’s imperative that campaign
messages are tailored and relevant. While leveraging
data and automation is essential to garnering donations,
support and ultimately votes, winning candidates will
use technology to develop relevant content and creative
experiences quickly, and at scale.
of Millennials engage with
political blog content on
their smartphone compared
to 13% of Gen X’ers and
8% of Boomers.9
24%
46%
3
DATA MAKES FOR
SMARTER MESSAGING.
of creators use data to
optimize and inform their
creative strategies.10

6. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 5
“Voters, much more so than
consumers, are motivated to
action by having formed emotional
connections. Good creative is the
flourish, the triumphant cadenza
that catalyzes an emotional
response in viewers and makes
them connect with the candidate.”
– SEAN MCCULLOUGH, AOL
PROGRAMMATIC TECHNOLOGY IS UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES
FOR CREATIVE EXPERIENCES.
50% of creators are making their data work harder for them and automating more workflows through programmatic
technology.11
For political advertisers specifically, following cost, audience/demographics is the 2nd most important
consideration when deciding where they place their ads.12
MOST IMPORTANT USES OF PROGRAMMATIC:
STREAMLINE A COSTLY, SILOED CREATIVE PROCESS
50% of brands, agencies and publishers juggle 4+ vendors to build, manage and optimize creative assets.13
With AOL, all of those services can come under one open platform and fewer points of contact.
OUTPERFORM INDUSTRY STANDARDS
AOL education/government campaigns consistently beat industry benchmarks:14
166% higher interaction rate than industry benchmark.
92% higher interaction time than industry benchmark.
HOW AOL UNLEASHES CREATIVITY
AUDIENCE DATA
INTEGRATION
DYNAMIC
CREATIVE
OPTIMIZATION
WORKFLOW
MANAGEMENT

7. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 6
WIN
WITH
DIGITAL
Political ad spend is expected to increase 20%
from 2014-2016, with $1B of that allocated to digital
specifically, demonstrating the increasing value that
political advertisers see in the channel.15
As voters’
consumption habits continue to evolve and fragment
across screens, it’s becoming more vital for candidates
to leverage the advantages of digital.
Candidates who can harness mobile, programmatic and
data-­driven creative to reach voters at the right time, in
the right environment, with the right message will see the
results in real time and on Election Day.
To learn how you can take your platform to the next level,
or get in touch with our political advertising experts, visit
www.aolplatforms.com/politics.

8. T H E P O L I T I C A L A D V E R T I S I N G P U L S E | 7
S O U R C E S :
1,4,8,12: Advertiser Perceptions Monthly Omnibus Study,
February 2016.
2: “The Global Mobile Economy 2015” GSMA, 2015.
3,6,9: AOL Omnibus, March 2016.
5: “Mobile Video Usage, A Global Perspective” IAB,
August 2015.
7: “Programmatic Ad Spending, United States, 2014-­2018”
eMarketer, 2015.
10, 11, 13: “Programmatic Creative Survey” AOL &
Digiday, September 2015.
14: MOAT, 2015.
15: Borrell Associates, 2015.
ABOUT AOL
AOL is a media technology company with a mission
to connect consumers and creators through open
marketplaces. AOL uses data to disrupt content
production, distribution and monetization. The company
connects publishers with advertisers across its global,
programmatic platforms, tapping into Microsoft
inventory and original content brands like TechCrunch,
The Huffington Post and MAKERS which reach over
500 million monthly global consumers. Within its mobile
advertising network alone, AOL has a reach of roughly
800 million users. A subsidiary of Verizon, AOL is shaping
the digital future.

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www.aolplatforms.com/politics