Racing for Political Spend...Let's Caucus

/

Top Political Ad Spend

Note on the Data: This data compares programmatic advertising spend running through STAQ systems from September 2019 to February 2020 across 10+ partners. Of the advertisers in our Politics & Advocacy vertical, the analysis below is focused on the top 2 programmatic spenders: Tom Steyer and Mike Bloomberg.
 

Daily 2020 Political Spend
 

27.png

  • We observed that 2-5 days leading up to a debate or the Iowa Caucus, Bloomberg picked up spend while Steyer remained consistent.

    • Leading up to the Iowa Caucus, on February 1, Bloomberg drastically increased spend overnight by almost 467%.

  • To put this in perspective: In 2020, across the publishers and partners where we’ve seen spend, candidates Steyer and Bloomberg are amongst the top 15 advertisers, and together have spent more than AT&T, Procter & Gamble, Apple, and Capital One combined. 

Monthly Spend by Select Candidates

28.png

From September 2019 to January 2020, we observed a sharp increase in spend in our Politics & Advocacy vertical as the election season heated up.

  • The largest MoM growth occurred from December 2019 to January 2020.

    • Steyer increased spend by 412% and Bloomberg by 782%.

  • Steyer, one of the highest spenders, comprised 59% of the Politics & Advocacy vertical spend.

    • Over 5 months, he outspent Microsoft and Progressive Insurance. 

  • Since announcing his bid in late November, Bloomberg quickly became a top spender, accounting for 18% of spend in Politics & Advocacy.


Dates to Note:

  • Bloomberg announces bid for presidency - November 24

  • Debates - January 14, February 7, February 19, February 25

  • Iowa Caucus - February 3

  • Super Tuesday - March 3

Want to know which DSPs see the most political spend? How about which candidate is the most promiscuous in their DSP choices? Contact your STAQ Account Manager to find out!