Nexxen and TargetSmart Break Down the Evolution of Political Advertising in a Programmatic World
Political campaigns increasingly rely on programmatic to reach voters across streaming, digital and emerging media environments. To better understand how political advertisers are navigating this shift, we sat down with Hamid Qayyum, Chief Innovation Officer at The Tara Group, the parent company of data-driven solutions company TargetSmart, and Andy Brecher, Vice President, Demand Partnerships at Nexxen, to discuss everything from evolving voter targeting strategies to the importance of premium, transparent inventory during high-stakes election cycles.
Here’s what they had to say.
To start, how are you both seeing political advertising change as campaigns move more budget into programmatic channels like CTV and digital video?
Hamid: The biggest shift is targeting and measurement. Campaigns still want TV’s reach and impact, but they also expect digital precision. With CTV and digital video, they can reach specific audiences, measure performance more clearly and understand impact in a way traditional TV never allowed.
Andy: Exactly. We’re seeing campaigns moving toward environments with scale and control. With programmatic, especially in CTV, you’re able to reach fragmented audiences across premium inventory while still understanding campaign performance. That combination of high-impact environments and real-time insight drives real outcomes.
That shift puts more pressure on data. Campaigns have always used voter files and demographic targeting, but how are those strategies evolving as media consumption fragments?
Andy: At a high level, it’s about taking those foundational audience insights and making them actionable across more environments. Campaigns need to both reach audiences and know what they’re engaging with — across streaming, video and digital. Programmatic makes it possible to activate those strategies across premium inventory at scale, which is critical as media consumption continues to fragment.
Hamid: Voter files are still the backbone of political advertising — that hasn’t changed. But we’re seeing more layering on top of that, especially with contextual signals. To echo Andy, campaigns need those signals to refine targeting to how people behave today.
As campaigns activate those data strategies across more channels, where do compliance and transparency become most important?
Hamid: It really varies state by state. Some regions have much stricter requirements than others, which can make it complicated for campaigns trying to scale across markets. That’s why working with trusted partners is so important — you want to make sure you’re not running into compliance issues or putting your campaign at risk.
Andy: Additionally, that’s exactly where infrastructure matters. At scale, there needs to be clear visibility in where ads are running. Transparent supply paths and direct relationships with premium publishers help ensure that campaigns stay compliant and that ads appear in environments that meet those standards.
Once campaigns have that foundation in place, what outcomes are they trying to drive beyond basic reach?
Hamid: At the end of the day, it comes down to votes. Everything — whether it’s reach, engagement or messaging — is ultimately in service of driving turnout or influencing voter behavior. Campaigns are focused on making sure their message resonates and leads to real-world action.
Andy: To get there, campaigns need clear visibility into media performance throughout the campaign. Programmatic makes that possible — showing what’s working, allowing for in-flight adjustments and teams optimizing toward real outcomes, not just delivery.
That also makes coordination more complicated. How are advertisers managing campaigns across streaming TV, mobile video, digital display and other environments without overwhelming voters?
Hamid: It really comes down to reach and frequency. Advertisers are trying to get their message across consistently without overwhelming voters. That means using different tactics across channels to reinforce messaging while being mindful of exposure frequency.
Andy: From an execution standpoint, that’s where programmatic helps. Campaigns can activate across CTV, video and display in a more unified way, which makes it easier to manage frequency and maintain consistency. It also allows them to scale efficiently across channels without losing control.
Looking ahead, what trends will shape the future of political advertising?
Hamid: We’ll continue to see more investment in programmatic channels, especially as streaming becomes even more central to content consumption. At the same time, transparency and access to premium inventory will become even more important as campaigns look for trusted ways to scale.
Andy: It’s also still about getting people to vote and making sure your message is heard. Any tools or strategies that help amplify that message — whether through better targeting, broader reach or stronger engagement — are what campaigns are going to prioritize.
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