Political Hay
In 2018, CTV advertising was a “rounding error” for political advertisers, reports Campaigns & Elections based on a new report from Kinetiq Political Insights.
Per KPI’s estimates, CTV ads will eclipse 25% of all political advertising for the first time this year. “No medium in political advertising history has scaled this fast.”
Radio advertising, once a stalwart part of the political media and advertising diet, is now the rounding error at a projected $300 million total this year.
Overall, political advertising is through the roof. The not-even-optimistic end of KPI’s forecast calls for $10.4 billion in political ad spend this year. By comparison, in 2024, when Donald Trump and Kamala Harris headlined a presidential race, KPI tallied up $11.2 billion in total ad spend. And KPI’s high-water mark for potential spend this year is $11.8 billion.
In other words, the purported “off year” swings in the four-year election cycle are now large waves in and of themselves. Michigan, expected to be the biggest single state for political ad spend, is projected to see $1 billion in political ad dollars. And enough advertising will be focused on the high-stakes Georgia Senate and governor races to make Atlanta the most expensive media market this year.
Billboard Barters
TBPN, the business-show-slash-live-video-podcast that was recently acquired by OpenAI, is pursuing an Emmy in the category for Emerging Media. (In case you’re wondering about the four-letter acronym, the “TB” used to stand for Tech Bros. But now it’s “Technology Business Programming Network.”)
Of course, the ex-Tech Bros are planning their awards campaign in the most B2B media way imaginable.
TBPN is cutting a barter deal with AdQuick, a DSP and analytics company for digital out-of-home ads, which is also a sponsor of the show, Variety reports. AdQuick will reserve billboard placements and other DOOH spots around Los Angeles – which, for the uninitiated, is a classic part of the lobbying and marketing apparatus when studios contend for major awards. When Netflix got serious about winning Hollywood awards, it bought some of the most prominent billboards in LA (not “bought” as in ad campaigns, mind, but flat-out acquired them for hundreds of millions of dollars).
TBPN will get some $800,000 worth of inventory in LA, as well as the category expertise from AdQuick.
AdQuick will presumably receive lots of positive shout-outs during the show. Since its acquisition by OpenAI, TBPN has not included sponsorship placements.
Why So InSECURE?
At first glance, the latest national data privacy law proposed to Congress looks promising.
The SECURE Data Act would limit the data companies can collect, allow users to see what information is stored about them (and request its deletion) and require opt-ins for sensitive data, like location or sexuality, The Verge reports.
However, there are plenty of loopholes.
For one, it wouldn’t allow individuals to sue over alleged violations of privacy. Nor would it mandate that sites comply with universal opt-out systems. It would also take precedence over state laws, meaning that consumers in states with stricter privacy laws, like California, would lose protections.
Privacy execs aren’t impressed. R.J. Cross, director of the Public Interest Research Group’s “Our Online Life” campaign, called it a “a green light for the tech industry to keep collecting whatever data they want from you” without a “pesky state” getting in the way.
Some business professionals, on the other hand, are more optimistic. The “middle-of-the-road approach” doesn’t seem “overly burdensome,” Gary Kibel, partner at Davis+Gilbert, tells AdExchanger, and unifies a fragmented privacy landscape.
Still, regardless of personal preference, many don’t expect the bill to be passed into law. “If I had $100,” said Kibel, “I’d sooner bet it on the Mets winning the World Series than this bill becoming law this year.”
But Wait! There’s More!
Charter Communications lost subscribers in both its internet and video businesses in Q1 2026. [WSJ]
The AI compute crunch is affecting the entire economy, not just tech. [404 Media]
How 25 brands took experiential marketing to the next level for Coachella this year. [Event Marketer]
Another spyware manufacturer was caught distributing malware on fake Android apps. [TechCrunch]
Hackers are spoofing Paperless Post, Evite and Punchbowl to creep into your hard drive. [NYT]
MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) is launching a mobile subscription app this summer. [Bloomberg]
You’re Hired!
Dentsu names John Stauffer as practice president, business transformation, international markets. [release]
