admin
The digital advertising landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, particularly during election seasons, as publishers grapple with the substantial loss of billions in ad revenue to programmatic middlemen. However, a new initiative spearheaded by supply-side platform OpenX, in collaboration with data provider Givsly, aims to recalibrate this dynamic. On Monday, the companies unveiled a novel curation and targeting solution meticulously designed for political campaigns. This groundbreaking tool diverges from conventional party affiliation data, instead enabling political advertisers to precisely reach voters based on their deeply held values across premium connected TV (CTV) and digital publisher platforms that permit political advertisements. Early adopters of this innovative approach include esteemed publications like Newsweek, alongside prominent CTV platforms such as Plex, Xumo, and Scripps, signaling a significant shift towards more direct and curated advertising strategies in the political arena.
This strategic move towards more controlled and intentional advertising buys arrives at a critical juncture, coinciding with an election cycle projected to witness unprecedented levels of political ad spending. Projections from AdImpact underscore the immense financial stakes, forecasting a staggering $10.8 billion in political ad expenditure for the current year. This figure represents a substantial 20% increase compared to the 2022 midterm elections and approaches the $11.1 billion mark recorded during the 2024 presidential race, highlighting the escalating investment in political advertising.
The sheer volume of this financial commitment naturally fuels a desire among publishers for greater oversight of pricing and a more robust assurance of brand safety. Curated deals offer a compelling solution, not only by mitigating the risk of undesirable ad placements for political advertisers but also by facilitating the identification and engagement of previously untapped segments of potential swing voters. This convergence of publisher interests and advertiser demands is precisely what OpenX and Givsly are addressing with their new offering.
Predictability in a Volatile Political Programmatic Market
The introduction of curated deal structures promises to inject a much-needed element of predictability into what has historically been a notoriously chaotic and often described as a "spray and pray" programmatic political advertising marketplace. Danielle Varvaro, Chief Revenue Officer at Newsweek, articulated this sentiment, emphasizing that the new solution not only enhances campaign effectiveness but also contributes to a healthier ecosystem for publishers. "Curated deals help reduce duplication in the supply path and support more stable pricing," Varvaro stated.
This stability allows publishers to transcend the temptation of chasing short-term revenue spikes that are characteristic of election seasons. Instead, they can focus on cultivating "sustainable yield," a more long-term and reliable revenue stream. Varvaro further elaborated that sell-side curation grants publishers enhanced agency in their participation within the political ad market. "We can access the incremental spend while maintaining our governance, our compliance, and our brand integrity," she explained, underscoring the importance of safeguarding editorial standards and brand reputation amidst the influx of political advertising.
Unpacking the Mechanics of Values-Based Targeting
The operational framework of this innovative solution is rooted in the synergy between Givsly’s unique data capabilities and OpenX’s robust technological infrastructure. Givsly leverages data signals sourced from a network of over 500 non-profit organizations to construct audience segments based on shared values. These values can range from advocacy for women’s empowerment to a commitment to environmental sustainability, offering a nuanced approach to voter segmentation that transcends traditional demographic or political affiliations.
OpenX then meticulously matches these value-based signals against its comprehensive identity graph. This process enables the identification of Givsly’s precisely defined audiences across its extensive network of publisher clients. The resulting audience segments are then packaged into distinct deal IDs, which can be seamlessly activated through both direct and programmatic buying channels.
Amanda Forrester, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at OpenX, highlighted that Givsly’s data represents a crucial enrichment layer for targeting. "Buyers can also target specific geos and ZIP codes and zero in on particular voting districts," Forrester noted. However, she also cautioned that the indiscriminate combination of values-based data with third-party audiences from other vendors could potentially constrain supply, underscoring the importance of strategic data integration.
Despite this potential constraint, the integration of Givsly’s data offers political campaigns a powerful new avenue to connect with voters whose values resonate with their candidate’s platform, even in the absence of direct party affiliation data. This capability extends to identifying and engaging new potential voters in ZIP codes where campaigns might already possess extensive party affiliation data, thereby facilitating the activation of new voter segments rather than merely reinforcing existing bases.
Furthermore, the solution provides advertisers with granular, localized reporting on reach and frequency at the county, Designated Market Area (DMA), and ZIP code levels. This detailed reporting empowers campaigns to optimize their advertising efforts towards specific outcomes, such as driving traffic to campaign websites or facilitating voter registration page visits, thereby enhancing the measurable impact of their ad spend.
The Growing Demand for Precision in Political Advertising
This new offering is not an isolated development but rather a strategic response to two significant industry shifts that have increasingly empowered publishers to take a more active role in programmatic dealmaking. The first is the pronounced rise of sell-side curation over the past few years. This trend has been closely followed by a growing emphasis on audience precision over sheer volume, a shift that resonates deeply with the evolving demands of political advertisers.
Varvaro observed that political advertisers are not unique in their pursuit of measurable outcomes; they share this objective with brands across all sectors. This has become evident in numerous negotiations for midterm ad buys that have already taken place this year. "Historically, political buying could be highly transactional, particularly within the programmatic channels during peak seasons, when buyers are competing aggressively for limited supply," Varvaro remarked. In contrast, the current cycle sees political advertisers prioritizing "curated access to that supply path, and also transparency and compliance."
For Newsweek, participating in OpenX’s curated political packages represents a strategic move to fortify its supply chain during a period of intense demand. Simultaneously, it serves to reinforce its standing as a premium, centrist news publisher. Varvaro emphasized that this curated approach allows the publication to engage with political advertising in a manner that aligns with its editorial integrity and brand identity.
However, Newsweek’s engagement with political advertising is not without its strategic nuances. While the publication remains open to running political ads across its various digital properties and verticals, it has made a conscious decision to exclude political spots from its CTV inventory sold through Adprime, a healthcare-focused Demand-Side Platform (DSP) that Newsweek acquired last June. This specific supply is not part of its current partnership with OpenX, illustrating a deliberate segmentation of its advertising inventory based on strategic partnerships and brand considerations.
Re-Engaging Publishers in the Political Arena
Despite these advancements, not all media companies are quick to embrace political advertising, citing ongoing societal polarization and persistent brand safety concerns. Political buyers, too, exhibit distinct preferences regarding the publishers they choose to support. OpenX has proactively addressed these hesitations on both sides of the supply chain by integrating robust controls into its system.
Through the OpenX Select curation platform, buyers are empowered to establish custom brand standards and curate allow lists of publishers. Forrester explained that because this curation is managed on the sell side, buyers can activate these meticulously crafted lists across any DSP without the need for repetitive reconfiguration for each individual platform.
On the publisher side, controls are equally sophisticated. Publishers receive advertiser approval lists, ensuring that curated packages do not inadvertently cannibalize existing direct deals. They also retain the right to review ad creative to verify its alignment with their values and can dictate the stringency of the creative review process. This flexibility allows publishers to tailor their participation to their specific risk tolerance and brand guidelines. Some may opt for a rigorous vetting of every political ad, while others may choose to whitelist trusted advertisers and streamline the review process.
OpenX emphasizes that participation in its political advertising offerings is entirely opt-in, and the company reports that more than half of its publisher base has already enabled political advertising capabilities. Even for participating publishers, the ability to block political ads from specific site subsections or domains remains a crucial control. Consequently, political campaigns can only bid on inventory that has been explicitly approved by the publisher, ensuring a controlled and deliberate allocation of ad spend.
OpenX anticipates that these comprehensive controls will encourage publishers who have previously withdrawn from political advertising due to concerns about brand alignment, data governance, and privacy compliance to reconsider their stance. "If you can deliver a solution that has strong guardrails and protections, and that keeps content aligned with other quality publishers, then people are more comfortable providing access," Forrester concluded, highlighting the platform’s commitment to fostering a secure and trustworthy environment for political advertising. This initiative represents a significant step towards democratizing access to valuable ad inventory for political campaigns while simultaneously empowering publishers to maintain control over their brand and revenue streams.
