CTV Advertising Dominated Digital Strategies in 2022 US Midterm Elections

Basis Technologies Publishes Digital Ad Spending Report Revealing Media Tactics of Political Campaigns

Washington, DC, March 22, 2023 – Basis Technologies, a leading provider of cloud-based workflow automation and business intelligence software for marketing and advertising, today announced 2022 US Elections research showing CTV advertising’s impact on political campaigns. The use of CTV ads for political campaigns pushed direct buying to 35% share of buying tactics mix and boosted programmatic ad impressions and spend on CTV devices by more than 60%. The data was compiled from more than 1000 advertisers for state, local and national races managing digital ad buying via Basis Technologies’ software platform. These political and advocacy advertisers encompassed more than $130 million spent across display, video, native, search and social media. The report is available here.

Covering US elections advertising since 2018, the Basis Technologies ‘US Elections Digital Advertising Trends’ report shows digital strategies for:

• Connected TV and Video: CTV ads were a key reason why video was the overwhelming ad format favorite (68%) based on spending share. A factor affecting this is the higher relative cost of video inventory compared to display.
• Programmatic: Automated buying though demand-side platforms (DSPs), though very popular in 2020 campaigns with 63% share of budgets, dipped to 52% in 2022. Direct buying surged to 35% share.
• Pricing: For programmatic media, there was a 40% rise in average CPMs between January and November 2022; video ad CPMs were more steady throughout the year, only deviating 5-10% from the average in any given month.

• Top Sellers: As in 2018 and 2020, the top three direct sellers were YouTube, Facebook, and Hulu (with some change in rank between the three every election cycle). New to the top 15 (that weren’t on the list in 2020) were VideoAmp, Katz Media Group, LG Ads, Nexstar Media Group and NBC Universal.
• Timing: Campaigns spent 50% of digital ad budgets in the last 30 days before Election Day, and 25% in the last 10 days. This is a consistent pattern for every election cycle.
• Impressions by State: Michigan garnered the most programmatic ad impressions served through Basis, followed by Wisconsin and California.

“Digital advertising is a tried-and-true core element for successful political campaigns, as illustrated by the rapid adoption of newer digital channels like CTV we’ve seen over recent election cycles,” said Grace Briscoe, SVP of Candidates and Causes, Basis Technologies. “Winning political playbooks need a combination of speed, scale, precision, engagement and measurability. Programmatic advertising and digital video combine important elements needed for both persuasion and turning out the vote.”

Basis Technologies has been trusted by agencies and consultants in politics, public affairs, and advocacy for 15 years. Its Basis platform provides a comprehensive selection of unique buying methods across all channels and devices, utilizing all major creative types and formats. Since 2007, Basis Technologies has helped power digital media for over 2,500 political campaigns and independent expenditure committees, and over 2,500 issue advocacy advertisers.

About Basis Technologies

Basis Technologies is a leading provider of cloud-based workflow automation and business intelligence software for marketing and advertising functions within enterprises. Its SaaS platform is composed of a suite of integrated applications that automate manual operations, standardize business processes, and improve marketing and advertising performance. The technology provides a comprehensive selection of buying methods across all channels and devices, utilizing all major creative types and formats. Basis’ platform creates a single system of record, seamless team collaboration, and actionable data-driven insights yielding material gains in productivity and increased profitability for users. Headquartered in Chicago with offices servicing North America, South America, and Europe, Basis Technologies has received numerous accolades for its commitment to employees and workplace culture. Learn more at https://basis.com.

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Contact:

Anthony Loredo

anthony.loredo@basis.net

917-573-4157