The latest figures from AdImpact show Democrats spending nearly twice as much as Republicans on political ads year-to-date, bulking up on digital, broadcast, and connected TV, while there’s less of a difference between the party spend at radio and cable.
AdImpact’s projections, based on advertising from PACs as well as from the campaigns and parties themselves, put Democrats’ total spend at $325 million vs. the GOP’s $181 million, according to a report from Axios. Digital has made the difference, with Dems shelling out $111 million, or 34% of total spend, on digital media such as Google and Facebook. CTV spend is twice that of Republicans, with Democrats’ $69 million vs. the GOP’s $34 million.
As for radio, the only non-video medium measured by AdImpact, Democrats have spent $8 million vs. Republicans’ $6 million, which may be due to the number of conservative talk stations on the AM band. The spend between the two parties is also close for cable TV, with Democrats laying out $32 million as opposed to the GOP’s $29 million. That’s a record amount for both parties, reflecting streaming media’s ability to target narrower groups of people based on their interests.
AdImpact’s report notes that the move to digital contrasts with both parties’ history of putting most of their money on local broadcast media, with digital’s strength its ability to target younger or minority voters. With the move away from internet tracking cookies, political advertisers have had to heavy-up on digital formats outside of banner ads, such as streaming, keyword searches and podcasts.
According to the report, political ad spend is expected to hit a record high this year, with total Presidential election spend projected at $10.69 billion, up 19% vs. the 2019-2020 presidential cycle, while, according to GroupM, total political advertising is expected to pass the $16 billion mark.
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