In AAPC’s recent webinar, Shannon Chatlos (Strategic Partners & Media), Danny Laub (Poolhouse), and Casey Bessette (Sage Media Planning & Placement) discussed what worked in 2024, what didn’t, and what smart campaigns must do in 2026 and beyond. Top takeaways:

1. CTV, Digital Audio, and Live Sports Are Reshaping the Media Landscape

• CTV (Connected TV) continues to take a larger share of campaign budgets as cable’s reach and efficiency plummet.
• Digital audio (Spotify, podcasts) is an underleveraged but rapidly growing part of the media mix.
• Live sports are uniquely valuable due to captive audiences — especially as they increasingly dominate shared family viewing.

"When was the last time you recalled a commercial that wasn’t during a live sports game?” — Danny Laub, Poolhouse

2. Budget Strategy: Stretch Every Dollar With Smart Layering

• The best plans use a layered strategy: follow voters across screens (broadcast, OTT, social, podcasts).
• For low-budget campaigns, prioritize programmatic digital for cost-effective targeting in primaries, and invest in early name ID with voters likely to vote by mail.
• Radio, both traditional and streaming, is still highly effective, especially in GOP primaries, but often gets cut too quickly.

3. Media Fragmentation Demands Flexibility and Testing

• Success isn’t just reach — it’s message recall, polling movement, and adaptability.
• Ongoing polling, creative testing, and feedback loops are essential for mid-campaign course corrections.
• Bad creative = wasted budget, no matter how “perfect” the media buy is.

“You need to be humble enough to know when it’s not working — is it the message or the media?” — Danny Laub, Poolhouse

4. Gen Z and Behavioral Targeting: Think Beyond Age

• Gen Z isn’t guaranteed Democratic turnout. Income, education, and geography are stronger indicators than age alone.
• Influencer marketing wasn’t heavily emphasized, but platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube were identified as key touchpoints.
• Consultants must “deconstruct their own media prejudices” and consider how their targets consume content.

“We assumed voters of color would just show up. We didn’t meet them where they are.” —Casey Bessette, Sage Media Planning & Placement

5. All Politics (and Media Plans) Are Local

• Strategy should be built from the ground up, not retrofitted from national models.
• What works in Iowa (broadcast, radio) may flop in New York (where cable still performs well).
• The “it depends” principle holds true for every medium, with geography, media access, and target voter behavior being the determining factors.

6. Strong Coordination with Direct Mail Partners Is Non-Negotiable

• Disjointed creative and targeting between digital/TV and direct mail signals a weak campaign.
• Especially in low-budget or fragmented markets, mail and radio can be as effective as TV — if integrated properly.

7. Favorite tools include:

• L2 for voter data and modeling.
• Nielsen for granular geographic ratings.
• Tunnl for media consumption insights.
• Campaign-specific polling and modeling are the gold standard — public tools are helpful, but first-party data is more precise.

📈 Looking Ahead: Trends for 2026 & 2028

• Streaming rights to live sports (especially if locked behind ad-free platforms) will influence where media dollars go.
• Expect continued growth in CTV, social, and programmatic, especially if platforms begin loosening political ad restrictions.
• Consultants must remain agile learners, embracing an ecosystem where media rules and inventory policies change constantly.

“If someone calls themselves a digital expert, run. This is a constant state of learning.” — Shannon Chatlos, Strategic Partners & Media

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