After seven years working with political campaigns, ad agencies, and political consultants at CMAG – the political intelligence unit of Kantar and now Vivvix – Steve Passwaiter has swung open the doors of his own firm, Silver Oak Political. The Washington, DC-based political advisory firm helps media groups and organizations interested in improving their results from the political ad sector and works with firms looking to introduce new products and/or services into the category.
With the 2024 election cycle projected to be the most expensive to date, with spending expected to be in the $10-$11 billion range, media companies are asking how they can do better in the space. “In a lot of cases, these companies have no relationships with [political decisionmakers], outside of maybe a few transactional ones,” Passwaiter tells Inside Radio. “And it's hard for them to tell the story.”
Political agencies and advertisers in DC tend to go with known commodities, people they've already worked with. “These guys run the biggest one-day sale in the world and they only are willing to trust a limited number of vendors to help them carry that message,” he adds.
Silver Oak Political aims to help clients fast forward the process, using Passwaiter’s relationships in the political world on both sides of the aisle to get in front of people. And to help them determine which of their assets will get the most play in the political community.
“It uses my relationships, my knowledge of the political sector to help them do a better job of reaching into these political advertisers,” Passwaiter says.
His advice for those new to the space? Play the long game. Building relationships in the political community takes years, not weeks or months. Laying the ground work well ahead of the heavy ad spend cycle is important.
“What you do this year may not show tremendous results, but you are laying seeds for future cycles,” he says. “After this thing is over, we'll go right into the midterm. There's really no pause between cycles.”
For radio stations with audience and assets of interest to campaigns and agencies, a great time to enter is after an election is over, he says. “That's when you really need to think about turning up the juice on sales people. Then they’ll have the time to hear you out,” he advises. “It gives you a chance to show your capabilities when there aren't necessarily a ton of huge races on the ballot. They won't be pressured by the demands of the moment. And it's a great time to do testing. You may learn some things that you may need to do in order to make products more adaptable to the political space, because it is a little different.”
So what’s behind the Silver Oak Political name? “Given my age and the durability of an oak tree, it seemed like a good idea,” he says.
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