How Political Campaigns Can Adapt to a Changing Digital Landscape

Introduction

Political campaigns are at a crossroads, where traditional approaches are clashing with the rapidly evolving digital environment. While some campaigns have embraced innovation, others have been slower to adapt, often ceding valuable opportunities to opponents. By analyzing the 2022 midterms, we can identify key lessons about digital strategies, platform engagement, and how campaigns can better connect with voters in an increasingly competitive media ecosystem.

Lesson 1: Don’t Ignore Key Platforms

One of the most striking takeaways from the 2022 election cycle was the stark contrast in platform usage between Democratic and Republican campaigns. Democrats significantly outspent their opponents on platforms like TikTok, leveraging its massive audience of younger voters. This strategy included partnerships with influencers who created authentic, engaging content to promote progressive candidates and policies.

Republican campaigns largely avoided TikTok, citing concerns about data security due to its Chinese ownership. However, the platform's dominance in shaping public discourse cannot be ignored. Younger voters are increasingly turning to TikTok for information, entertainment, and community, making it a vital channel for campaigns aiming to reach this demographic.

Even platforms with smaller political advertising footprints, like Snapchat, were underutilized by Republicans. Democrats dominated this space, ensuring their messages reached voters across a broader range of digital platforms.

Takeaway: Campaigns cannot afford to ignore platforms where key voter demographics are active. Even with security concerns, finding creative solutions—such as using burner phones or engaging through influencers—can help bridge the gap.

Lesson 2: The Importance of Showing Up

Digital advertising success often begins with simply being present. Democrats consistently outpaced Republicans in spending on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, and YouTube. Early and consistent spending allowed them to dominate the digital space, shaping narratives and building voter connections well before Election Day.

A glaring example was Dr. Mehmet Oz’s campaign in Pennsylvania, which failed to run a single persuasion ad on Facebook during the general election. Instead, the campaign focused solely on fundraising, leaving a critical platform untapped for voter outreach. In contrast, effective campaigns, like those of Ron DeSantis in Florida and Greg Abbott in Texas, balanced fundraising with persuasion and mobilization, ensuring a more comprehensive digital presence.

Takeaway: Consistency matters. Campaigns that show up early and stay active across digital platforms are better positioned to engage voters and counter opponents’ narratives.

Lesson 3: Connected TV is the Future

One of the most significant trends from 2022 was the rise of Connected TV (CTV) as a political advertising platform. With more Americans cutting the cord and turning to streaming services like Hulu, Roku, and YouTube, CTV offers unparalleled targeting capabilities and access to cord-cutters.

While spending on CTV is harder to track due to limited transparency, the data available suggests that Democrats outpaced Republicans in leveraging this medium. By targeting specific voter segments, CTV allows campaigns to optimize their ad spend while reaching audiences that traditional TV might miss.

Takeaway: As CTV continues to grow, campaigns must prioritize it as a core component of their media strategy, integrating it alongside traditional TV and digital channels.

Lesson 4: Embrace Relational and Ground Game Organizing

Democrats excelled in leveraging relational organizing platforms like Mobilize, which centralizes volunteer recruitment and event coordination. By offering a seamless experience akin to event platforms like Eventbrite, Mobilize allowed Democratic campaigns to tap into a robust volunteer network, driving large-scale voter outreach efforts.

Republicans, on the other hand, lacked a comparable centralized tool. This gap highlights the importance of adopting user-friendly technologies that follow supporters across multiple campaigns, reducing the need for repetitive recruitment efforts.

Takeaway: Investing in tools that streamline volunteer engagement and encourage long-term relationships with supporters can significantly enhance campaign ground games.

Lesson 5: Reevaluate Platform Assumptions

For years, Facebook was seen primarily as a tool for fundraising and email list-building. However, as the platform’s effectiveness in these areas declined, many Republican campaigns abandoned it altogether. This shift overlooked Facebook’s potential for persuasion and mobilization, as demonstrated by Democrats, who continued to innovate on the platform.

For example, the Democratic Governors Association used Facebook to launch localized “shell” accounts that targeted Republican candidates with critical news articles and community-specific messaging. This approach not only extended their reach but also enhanced message credibility by tailoring content to local audiences.

Takeaway: Campaigns should remain open to new uses for established platforms, even if they no longer serve their original purpose. Creative adaptations can unlock untapped potential.

Lesson 6: The Role of Transparency in Digital Spending

Transparency databases from platforms like Facebook, Google, and Snapchat have become invaluable tools for tracking campaign spending and messaging. These databases offer insights into which campaigns are active, where they’re spending, and what messages they’re prioritizing.

While transparency has improved accountability, it has also revealed gaps in spending strategy. For instance, the lack of competitive spending by some campaigns on Facebook and YouTube highlighted missed opportunities to counter opponents’ narratives.

Takeaway: Campaigns should monitor transparency databases not only to track competitors but also to identify weaknesses in their own strategies.

Lesson 7: Adapt to Algorithm Changes

Social media platforms constantly evolve, and campaigns must adapt to stay effective. In the past two years, Facebook has deprioritized news and political content in favor of algorithm-driven discovery and vertical video formats. This shift has affected both organic engagement and paid reach for political campaigns.

For example, major conservative publishers like Ben Shapiro and Dan Bongino have seen dramatic declines in Facebook engagement, reflecting the platform’s changing priorities. Adapting to these changes—such as by focusing on TikTok-style content or investing in new platforms—is essential for maintaining relevance.

Takeaway: Campaigns must stay attuned to platform changes and adjust their content strategies accordingly to remain competitive.

Conclusion

The 2022 midterms offered a wealth of lessons for political campaigns navigating the digital landscape. From expanding platform usage to embracing innovative tools and strategies, the campaigns that succeeded were those willing to adapt and invest in long-term engagement.

As the 2024 elections approach, campaigns must prioritize a comprehensive digital strategy that leverages emerging platforms, embraces transparency, and adapts to evolving voter behaviors. By learning from past successes and failures, campaigns can position themselves to connect with voters more effectively and win in an increasingly competitive environment.

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