With the presidential election just months away, a rising tide of political advertising is flooding the market. On every channel, every platform, and between endless amounts of doom scrolling, you’re sure to see at least one ad doused in the reds, whites, and blues of a presidential campaign. With an election creeping closer and ad-spend revving up, how can your brand stand out against the sea of national colors?
Sticking out among the noise
Political ads are specifically crafted to create noise. Reactions, emotions, action, you name it. They’re meant to get people talking. So, getting out from underneath their loudness is the first step toward successful marketing in an election year. Not sure where to begin? Here are four aspects to consider:
1. Timing’s everything
As is true for any ad — during any time of the year — timing matters. We all know politics are emotionally charged. And the ads themselves elicit strong — often negative — emotions from viewers across the political spectrum.
According to Forethought, brands that ran ads after political marketing were “perceived as 32% less relevant, 29% less entertaining, and 27% less appealing.” Which means one of the best things you can do for your brand is be conscious about time slots.
2. The ROYGBIV spectrum
Color combinations can make or break your brand. Especially so when the market is already saturated in the national hues. Using a combination of either red and white, white and blue, or blue and white can create a nice contrast. But, the further you stray from the triple-threat, patriotic palette, the more likely your brand is to stand out.
3. Evocative messaging
When all the ads around consumers feel polarizing, it’s up to the brands they trust to alleviate the negativity. Your messages must be intentional. Build campaigns off emotion — without being manipulative. No one understands your audience and their needs like you do. Use that to your advantage. By illustrating that little joys, silver linings, and positive outlooks still exist in the world around them, consumers are more likely to relate to and trust your brand. Tap into those emotions and positivity, and use empathy to create a campaign worth talking about.
Be the reason people want to — and can — spread positivity online.
4. Get innovative
You’ve tapped into emotion. You’ve got a campaign idea. Now what? It’s time to push the creative one step further. It’s about creating audience engagement.
Find ways to start the conversation, not just join it. Pose questions to your audience, invite them to share stories, or make a campaign simply so powerful, it moves them to interact with the creative. Once you tap into unique ways of starting a conversation, it puts you leaps ahead of all the noise of political ads.
Ready to start building a campaign that drowns out the noise? With a team full of creative thinkers and “Whoa” experts, MKR is always here to help.