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Why Political Campaign Managers Must Consider In-House Programmatic

why-political-campaign-managers-must-consider-in-house-programmatic

Political candidates have always splurged in their campaigns and promotion. With the technology advancing rapidly, and the potential voters shifting to digital platforms, which bring in digital advertising has become imperative. One of the greatest benefits of digital advertising is its ability to leverage data in order to make better-informed decisions. One such wonderful technology is programmatic advertising. It can enable political candidates to harness the power of programmatic media buys by reaching out to their potential voters with highly relevant and impactful campaign messages, thus increasing the candidates’ chances of winning their votes. But one big question arises– should it be outsourced or be done in-house?

Both options are great. However, considering the secrecy required for political campaigns, taking programmatic advertising in-house seems preferable. Just as big brands are building out their own in-house teams, political parties can do the same for their candidates. The primary objectives of brands to have an in-house programmatic campaign is to have greater cost efficiencies and greater transparency. Similarly, an internal committee can offer a greater level of transparency that doesn’t come with working alongside a second or third party.

Campaign managers with a finite fund may decide to go with TV – the tried and tested way. The only catch is that digital, not TV, is now the dominant force. And, smart candidates are quickly realizing this distinction.

Time to move beyond just Social Media:

Now, the candidates might look at social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or other platforms. While it is a good option, this is where everyone is going to compete against everyone else, driving auction costs through the roof. On the other hand, hiring an in-house ad-ops executive could enable the campaign managers to leverage the diverse sprawl of programmatic inventory available to buyers.

With the growth that programmatic has experienced, it is now possible to reach voters with the scale and speed that weren’t possible during the previous election. All the campaign managers need to do is to make the right hires.

Apart from driving cost efficiencies, running campaigns in-house enables campaign managers to draw on other factors like a better knowledge of the party values, dedicated staff, greater speed, and nimbleness. It enables brands to maintain greater control over their campaigns, and to have more flexibility with the way campaigns are set up, managed and measured.