The perennial challenge of publishers losing billions in digital advertising revenue to programmatic intermediaries during election seasons is poised for a significant shift, as sell-side curation emerges as a powerful tool to recalibrate the financial landscape. In a strategic move to address this persistent issue, supply-side platform OpenX, in collaboration with data provider Givsly, has introduced an innovative curation and targeting solution meticulously designed for political campaigns. This new offering diverges from traditional methods, which often rely on party affiliation data, by enabling political advertisers to connect with voters based on their deeply held values across a premium network of Connected TV (CTV) and digital publishers that permit political advertisements.
The launch partners for this groundbreaking initiative include prominent entities such as Newsweek, a respected news magazine, and leading CTV platforms like Plex, Xumo, and Scripps. This concerted effort toward more direct and curated advertising buying arrives at a pivotal moment, coinciding with what is projected to be another record-breaking election cycle in terms of political ad spending.
Escalating Political Ad Spend and the Publisher Dilemma
The financial stakes in political advertising are undeniably immense. Industry analytics firm AdImpact projects that total political ad spend for the current year will reach a staggering $10.8 billion. This figure represents a substantial 20% increase compared to the 2022 midterm elections and falls just shy of the $11.1 billion invested in the 2024 presidential race. The sheer volume of this capital underscores why publishers are increasingly prioritizing tighter control over their ad pricing and the crucial aspect of brand safety. Curated deals offer a dual benefit: they empower political advertisers to sidestep undesirable ad placements while simultaneously enabling them to tap into previously unreached segments of potential swing voters.
Historically, the programmatic political advertising marketplace has been characterized by its chaotic nature, often described as a "spray and pray" approach. This has led to a situation where publishers, despite facilitating vast ad volumes, often receive a diminished share of the revenue, with a significant portion being absorbed by intermediaries. The lack of direct control over pricing and placement has also contributed to concerns about brand integrity and the potential for ads to appear alongside unsavory or irrelevant content.
Introducing Predictability to Political Programmatic Advertising
Danielle Varvaro, Chief Revenue Officer at Newsweek, highlighted the transformative impact of curated deal structures. She explained that these structures introduce a much-needed element of predictability into what has traditionally been a volatile marketplace. "Curated deal structures introduce predictability into what’s historically been a chaotic ‘spray and pray’ programmatic political advertising marketplace," Varvaro stated. "It also helps reduce duplication in the supply path and supports more stable pricing."
This enhanced predictability allows publishers to move beyond the short-term revenue spikes often associated with election seasons. Instead, they can focus on cultivating "sustainable yield," a more consistent and long-term revenue stream. Varvaro further elaborated on the strategic advantage for publishers: "Curation on the sell side also gives publishers greater control over how they participate in the political ad market, so we can access the incremental spend while maintaining our governance, our compliance and our brand integrity." This newfound control is crucial for publishers seeking to balance the financial opportunities of political advertising with their commitment to maintaining editorial independence and brand reputation.
The Mechanics of Values-Based Targeting
The innovative solution functions by leveraging sophisticated data and matching technologies. Givsly, the data provider, constructs audience segments based on shared values, drawing insights from a vast network of over 500 nonprofit organizations. These values can encompass a wide spectrum, such as support for women’s empowerment or a commitment to environmental sustainability. OpenX then employs its sophisticated identity graph to precisely match these Givsly-generated audience signals with potential voters across its network of publisher clients. The aggregated audience segments are subsequently packaged into distinct "deal IDs," which can be readily activated for both direct and programmatic ad buys.
Amanda Forrester, SVP of Marketing and Communications at OpenX, emphasized that Givsly’s data serves as a valuable enrichment layer. "Givsly’s data is one enrichment layer," Forrester explained. "Buyers can also target specific geos and ZIP codes and zero in on particular voting districts." However, she cautioned that the extensive layering of third-party audience data, beyond the values-based insights, could potentially lead to a constrained supply.
Despite this potential limitation, the integration of Givsly’s data empowers political campaigns to connect with voters whose values resonate with their candidate’s platform, even in the absence of direct party affiliation data. This capability is particularly potent for identifying and engaging new potential voters, even within ZIP codes where campaigns already possess extensive party affiliation data. The strategic aim is to activate new voter bases rather than merely reinforcing existing support.
Furthermore, the solution offers advertisers granular reporting capabilities. They receive localized reach and frequency metrics at the county, Designated Market Area (DMA), and ZIP code levels. This detailed reporting enables them to optimize campaigns with precision, focusing on specific outcomes such as driving traffic to campaign websites or voter registration pages.
The Growing Demand for Precision in Political Advertising
This new offering is a direct consequence of two significant industry shifts that have empowered publishers to take a more active role in programmatic dealmaking. Firstly, the past few years have witnessed a notable rise in sell-side curation. Secondly, there has been a discernible shift in advertiser focus from sheer volume to audience precision. Varvaro of Newsweek observed, "The push toward more direct, curated buying coincides with another high-spending election cycle. … Political advertisers are no exception. They’re just as concerned with driving measurable outcomes as any brand, and that’s come out in many of the negotiations for midterm ad buys that have taken place so far this year."
Historically, political advertising transactions, especially within peak-season programmatic channels, were highly transactional due to aggressive competition for limited inventory. Varvaro elaborated on this shift: "Historically, political buying could be highly transactional, particularly within the programmatic channels during peak seasons, when buyers are competing aggressively for limited supply. But this cycle, political advertisers are much more focused on curated access to that supply path, and also transparency and compliance."
For Newsweek, participation in OpenX’s curated political packages represents a strategic approach to safeguarding its supply chain during periods of intense demand. It also serves to reinforce its positioning as a premium, centrist news publisher. Varvaro noted, "For Newsweek, being part of OpenX’s curated political packages is a way to safeguard its supply chain during a period of high demand, while also bolstering its reputation as a premium, centrist news publisher."
However, Newsweek’s approach to political advertising is nuanced. While open to running political ads across its digital properties, it has chosen not to place political spots on CTV inventory sold through Adprime, its healthcare-focused demand-side platform acquired in June of the previous year. This specific inventory is not part of its partnership with OpenX, indicating a deliberate strategy to segment and control the placement of political advertising.
Encouraging Publisher Participation in the Political Arena
Despite the potential financial benefits, not all media companies are quick to embrace political advertising. The prevailing climate of polarization and persistent brand safety concerns creates a reluctance. Similarly, political buyers often have specific 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 OpenXSelect curation platform, advertisers are granted the ability to define custom brand standards and establish allow lists of preferred publishers. A key advantage of this sell-side curation is that buyers can activate these predefined lists across any demand-side platform (DSP) without the need for repeated reconfiguration for each individual platform.
On the publisher’s end, the system provides advertiser approval lists, ensuring that curated packages do not inadvertently compete with or undermine existing direct deals. Publishers also retain the ability to review ad creatives to ensure alignment with their brand values and can determine the stringency of the creative review process. Some publishers opt for a thorough vetting of every political ad, while others prefer to whitelist trusted advertisers, streamlining the process.
OpenX emphasizes that participation is entirely opt-in, and a significant majority – over half – of its publisher network has enabled political advertising. Even within this opt-in framework, publishers retain granular control. They can block political ads from appearing on specific site subsections or domains. Consequently, political campaigns can only bid on inventory that has been explicitly approved by the publisher.
OpenX anticipates that these comprehensive controls will encourage publishers who may have previously withdrawn from political advertising due to concerns about brand alignment, data governance, and privacy compliance to reconsider their stance. Forrester commented, "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." This approach aims to foster a more secure and controlled environment for political advertising, ultimately benefiting both publishers and advertisers by ensuring brand safety and efficient targeting.
The Broader Implications for the Digital Advertising Ecosystem
The introduction of OpenX’s curated political advertising solution signifies a critical juncture for the digital advertising industry. It represents a tangible step towards rebalancing the power dynamic between publishers and programmatic intermediaries, particularly in high-stakes advertising categories like political campaigns. By enabling publishers to exert greater control over pricing, placement, and brand safety, this initiative has the potential to unlock significant untapped revenue streams.
The shift towards values-based targeting also reflects a broader trend in digital advertising: the increasing demand for audience precision and meaningful engagement. In an era where consumers are bombarded with advertising, the ability to connect with them on a deeper, values-driven level is paramount. For political campaigns, this translates into a more effective and efficient allocation of resources, allowing them to reach motivated voters who are more likely to respond to their message.
Furthermore, the emphasis on transparency and compliance within the OpenX framework addresses long-standing concerns about the opaque nature of programmatic advertising. By providing clear visibility into deal structures and audience targeting, this solution builds trust and accountability across the ecosystem.
The success of this initiative could pave the way for similar sell-side curation models to be adopted in other advertising verticals, further empowering publishers and fostering a more equitable and efficient digital advertising marketplace. As election cycles continue to grow in financial magnitude, solutions like the one offered by OpenX and Givsly will be instrumental in ensuring that publishers can fully capitalize on these opportunities while maintaining their brand integrity and control over their digital inventory.
Update 02/25/2026: This article has been updated to provide further clarification on how OpenX integrates Givsly’s values-based data with its identity graph, offering a more detailed understanding of the technical underpinnings of the solution.
