Elections 2024: The Power of Audiences and Contextual in an Unprecedented Political Marketing Landscape

At the national, regional, and local levels, political marketers are bracing for a wild ride this election season—and not just because of the tense political climate. The digital marketing landscape has undergone significant restructuring over the past two years, which means the political marketing playbook is in the process of being rewritten—and the consequences could not be higher.

Overall, U.S. political ad spending is expected to be higher than ever this year—an impressive $12.32 billion, compared to 2022’s $9.97 billion. But the distribution of this spend is going to look a lot different than it has in past election cycles.

Due to a rising tide of new privacy laws and evolving restrictions on political advertising within social media and other digital platforms, political marketers are rethinking old strategies. In doing so, they’re prioritizing channels and tactics whose power to deliver relevant and impactful advertising has been well documented. That’s where audience-driven and contextual strategies come in.

In Semasio’s latest guide, we dive deep into the political segments and best practices that will help candidates and causes set themselves apart this year. Here’s what you can expect to get out of this guide.

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Strategies for Targeting and Engaging

Tense and tight election cycles require nuanced approaches. Not only must political marketers be able to access the moderate voters who hold the key to swinging an election, but they must also be able to refine their messaging in a way that acknowledges voter sentiment and reduces message dissonance. In this guide, we lay out audience-driven and contextual strategies for capturing the swing vote, honing messaging, and identifying lookalike supporters who share the characteristics of a candidate’s or cause’s most ardent supporters.

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Insights into the Audience Segments That Will Make or Break a Campaign

Long gone are the days where political marketers could segment their campaigns according to basic voter registration lists and consider their efforts to be sufficiently “data driven.” The decision-making processes of today’s voters have never been more complex, and causes and candidates can no longer tailor their messaging simply according to a person’s stated political party.

Success in today’s political landscape requires nuanced segmentation that allows campaigns to speak to audiences in an informed way. In this guide, we’ll lay out the categories that matter most, including segments tailored based on people’s economic policy stances, positions on social issues, and more.

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Resources for Activation

In 2024, political campaigns can’t afford false starts and wasted impressions when it comes to activating their campaigns. Every moment and every placement matters. That’s why we’ve compiled the resources political campaigns need to empower their campaigns with the right segments, launch campaigns across platforms, and align content and messages with target audiences.

Download the guide today!