With just a few weeks left in the 2024 political campaign season, there’s still time to get your key messages out to voters. To ensure you’re making the most of your ad spend in the limited window of time left to campaign, it’s important to focus on your targeting strategy.

One of the partners we’re connected with for political targeting is TargetSmart, where we offer custom deal IDs for their political clients. TargetSmart leverages Equativ’s premium publisher inventory to deliver display and video campaigns across the web, mobile web, mobile apps, and CTV.

We recently sat down with Lindsey Schuh Cortes, CEO at TargetSmart to talk about their Media Buying Platform and what advertisers should focus on when it comes to their political ad spending.

Q. Can you tell us about TargetSmart and your Media Buying Platform?

When TargetSmart launched a decade ago, we built the most sophisticated national voter file in progressive politics. As data has become a more integral part of progressive campaigns, so has TargetSmart.

Even while campaign and advocacy ads have moved to digital platforms, the way ads have been placed has been through a patchwork of adtech providers that lack camapign-specific expertise or big tech company that routinely change terms of service for political ads or have suddenly left the industry entirely.

We built the Media Buying Platform to create a frictionless environment where the data that powers campaigns is seamlessly integrated with ad execution for the first time. This platform is the first built by political operatives for political operatives. That means it’s always aligned with the needs of the campaigns we serve and will continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of campaign operatives.

Q. What unique value does your solution provide to the market?

The biggest differentiator is that our Media Buying Platform was built for and by political operatives. We offer targeting down to the district level, and we’re extremely efficient in ensuring ad dollars are spent wisely. For example, we make sure your ads don’t go to people who’ve already voted. It’s this level of precision and focus that sets us apart and ensures every dollar has an impact.

Our platform is also transparent. Ad logs are seamlessly shared back with campaigns, so you can continue to make smart, data-driven decisions on your ad placements.

Q. What should advertisers pay attention to this election cycle?

Advertisers should focus on late money. There’s always a surge in late funding in presidential years, but with Vice President Harris becoming the nominee so late in the cycle, spending has increased at historic rates.

Inventory will be scarce. With more people voting earlier than ever before, it’s vital that your targeting is accurate and you can allocate your resources efficiently. Because the Media Buying Platform is fully integrated with TargetSmart’s voter file, we can automatically exclude voters who have already cast their ballots. All of that work is done under one roof seamlessly.

Q. What advice would you give to media buyers looking to optimize their political campaign targeting?

My advice is simple: avoid wasting money on middlemen or slow-moving platforms that aren’t built for politics.

Time is of the essence in political campaigns, and you need a fast, accurate, and affordable solution. Our platform checks all those boxes – it gets ads running quickly and ensures you’re hitting the right voters, all without hidden fees or delays. If you want to make the most of your ad dollars, we’ll ensure your campaign hits its targets efficiently.

Q. What is the most surprising change you’ve observed throughout your career in political advertising?

When I started, there was more lead time to plan and execute. But today, things happen in real-time. This year, we saw the entire progressive movement turn on a dime when President Biden decided to step aside.

Because of long-term investments in the progressive tech ecosystem, our campaigns were able to spend days – not weeks or months – retooling their message, targets, and creative. Having a nimble, responsive ad-buying platform is more important than ever.

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