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Three audience categories to activate in political campaign marketing

Published: January 30, 2024 by Hayley Schneider, Sr. Manager, Content Marketing

At A Glance

Political advertising spend is increasing across digital, connected TV (CTV), and programmatic channels as the election cycle progresses. Experian’s political audiences help political campaigns reach voters using party affiliation, issue-based personas, and ballot initiative relevance. These segments support geographic accuracy, message alignment, and cross-channel activation across major platforms.

Political advertising trends shaping campaign strategy

Political advertising is entering a high-growth cycle as the 2024 election season ramps up. Political ad spending is expected to surpass $10 billion; with Kamala Harris entering the race, spending priorities have moved, especially in key states like Ohio, where the Senate race alone has already seen $300 million in ad spending.

CTV is capturing a growing share of that investment. CTV’s share of political ad spending is projected to increase from 2.7% in 2020 to 12.8% this year. The Harris campaign, leading the charge, allocating $200 million for digital ads, with a significant portion committed to streaming platforms.

With more money flowing into more channels, effective audience targeting has become crucial in political marketing. The ability to reach voters based on behavior, geography, and media habits can influence perception, guide engagement, and impact election outcomes.

Three political campaign marketing audience categories

This article outlines three political audience segments that can help political campaigns and advocacy organizations align messaging with voter priorities, behaviors, and geography.

More than 240 politically relevant Experian Audiences are available across TV, demand-side, and supply-side platforms. These audiences support campaign planning and activation across three core categories:

  • Political affiliations
  • Political personas
  • Relevant ballot initiative audiences

Let’s break down each category and which audiences you can use in your political campaign marketing to target voters this upcoming election season.

Political affiliations

Our political affiliation audiences help your campaigns connect with voters based on likely party alignment or registration status. These audiences are built using voter registration data combined with Experian’s modeling techniques, allowing campaigns to reach voters at scale. These audiences are often used as a foundation, then layered with geography or issue-based attributes to refine reach.

Here are four audience segments that you can activate to target voters based on their predicted party affiliation:

  1. Democrat
  2. Republican
  3. Independent/Other
  4. Unregistered

How to use these audiences

A campaign organizer or media strategist can activate Independent/Other to reach persuadable voters who are not strongly tied to a party, particularly in competitive districts.

Political personas

Our political persona audiences’ model political affiliation and ideological leaning, helping your campaigns understand where voters are likely to fall across the political spectrum – including committed party members, moderates, and those who lean without formal affiliation.

Here are 10 audience segments that you can activate to target voters based on their viewpoints on key political issues:

  1. Political Unregistered Liberal Leaning
  2. Political Unregistered Conservative Leaning
  3. Committed Democrats
  4. Moderate Democrats
  5. Political Leaning Liberals
  6. Liberal Leaning Independents
  7. Conservative Leaning Independent
  8. Political Leaning Conservatives
  9. Moderate Republicans
  10. Committed Republicans

How to use these audiences

A campaign organizer, policy director, or media planner can activate Liberal Leaning Independents to reach voters whose issue positions influence voting behavior more than party labels.

Issue-based audience layers that complement political personas

Political personas identify how voters think. Issue-based audiences help identify what motivates them. Campaigns often layer these audiences with political personas to align issue messaging with voter priorities.

Environmental issue alignment using GreenAware audiences

To reach voters who believe the environment is a key political issue, you can layer in our GreenAware audiences with our Political Personas audiences:

  1. Behavioral Greens
  2. Think Greens
  3. Potential Greens
  4. True Browns

Geographic and voting-pattern layers

To reach voters based on their regional voting patterns, you can use our new battleground counties and district audiences:

  1. Affiliation Switcher Counties
  2. Battleground Counties
  3. House Battleground Districts
  4. Democrat Counties
  5. Republican Counties
  6. Independent Counties
Relevant ballot initiatives audiences

Ballot initiatives often hinge on everyday experiences, family structure, and local priorities. Experian Audiences help your campaigns reflect those realities in your outreach.

Local and national ballot initiative support

Consumer behaviors are often great predictors of local and national ballot initiatives. These behaviors help campaigns anticipate which issues are most likely to resonate within specific communities and households.

For example:

  1. Military households may engage with veteran-related initiatives
  2. Families with children may respond to education funding measures
  3. Environmentally engaged voters may support sustainability proposals

Experian offers consumer behavior and interest audiences that help campaigns align outreach, message framing, and issue emphasis with the everyday experiences that shape ballot initiative support.

  1. Military – Active
  2. Presence of Children > Ages: 0-18

How to use these audiences

A ballot initiative campaign manager or field organizer can activate audiences such as Military – Active or Presence of Children: Ages: 0–18 to align outreach with voters whose daily experiences connect directly to the ballot initiative.

Charitable causes

Charitable and advocacy causes often rely on donor participation and sustained financial support. Audience categories supporting charitable cause outreach and fundraising include lifestyle attributes, charitable giving behavior, household composition, and donation patterns.

  1. Contributes to Political Charities
  2. Discretionary Spend – Donations > $1,000-$1,999

How to use these audiences

A fundraising director or advocacy lead can activate Contributes to Political Charities to reach voters with a demonstrated history of political giving.

Demographic and financial context

Demographic and financial context, such as age, income, education, and household structure, influences how voters interpret ballot language, policy framing, and issue relevance. These factors shape how messages are received across different communities and life stages.

Demographic and financial audiences help campaigns apply this context by aligning message tone, framing, and emphasis with voter circumstances. When paired with geo-targeting, these audiences help reduce wasted spend and support delivery of relevant messages within the appropriate geographic boundaries.

  1. Financial FLA Friendly > In Market Auto Loan
  2. Geo-Indexed > Household Income: $50,000-$74,999
  3. Geo-Indexed > Education: Bachelor Degree
  4. Presence of Children > Ages: 10-12
  5. Marital status > Single
  6. Ages > 19-24
  7. Moms, Parents, Families > Mothers with infant child(ren) (0-3 yrs old)
  8. Financial FLA Friendly1> Income > $1,000-$24,999
  9. Financial FLA Friendly > In Market New Mortgage

How to use these audiences

A campaign communications or policy team can activate our demographic and financial audiences such as Geo-Indexed: Household Income: $50,000–$74,999 to adjust tone and framing of ballot language.

Media consumption and channel preferences

Understanding how voters consume media supports more effective channel planning. Media engagement audiences reflect preferences for streaming TV, email, digital video, and social platforms, helping campaigns match message format to viewing habits.

  1. Engagement Channel Preference > Email Engagement
  2. Engagement Channel Preference > Streaming TV
  3. Social Media > Snapchat
  4. Purchase Transactions > Ad Responders > Digital
  5. Television (TV) > Ad Avoiders/Ad Acceptors > Ad Acceptors

How to use these audiences

A media planner or digital strategist can activate Engagement Channel Preference > Streaming TV to match ballot initiative messaging with how voters prefer to consume media.

Mosaic® USA

Our Mosaic audiences are proprietary persona-based audience solution that combines hundreds of demographic and behavioral data points to classify all U.S. households into groups and types, creating a holistic view of voters and their interests.

  1. Mosaic – Singles and Starters > O55 – Family Troopers
  2. Mosaic – Cultural Connections > P56 – Mid-scale Medley
  3. Mosaic – Singles and Starters > O52 – Urban Ambition

How to use these audiences

A campaign strategy or insights team can activate Mosaic – Singles and Starters > O55 – Family Troopers to understand voters through a combined demographic and behavioral lens.

Occupation

Occupation provides important context for how voters evaluate ballot measures, policy proposals, and issue messaging. A voter’s work environment, industry, or employment status can influence how measures are perceived, particularly when policies affect jobs, education, agriculture, retirement, or economic conditions.

Occupation-based audiences help campaigns align messaging with professional context by tailoring language, examples, and issue framing to industries and work environments that are directly affected by specific measures.

  1. Management/Business and Financial Operations
  2. Sales
  3. Farming/Fish/Forestry
  4. At-Home: Retired/Empty Nesters
  5. Education

How to use these audiences

A policy advocate or outreach coordinator can activate Education or Farming/Fish/Forestry to tailor messaging around measures that affect specific industries or work environments.

Personal views

Understand consumers personal views around family, their social and work life.

  1. Psychographic/Attitudes > Work Centered
  2. Psychographic/Attitudes > Family Centered
  3. Psychographic/Attitudes > Social Isolation

How to use these audiences

A campaign organizer or messaging strategist can activate Psychographic/Attitudes > Family Centered to reach voters whose personal priorities influence how they interpret ballot measures.

What separates Experian’s syndicated audiences

Our syndicated audiences give you an advantage across channels, offering both scale and accuracy:

  • Experian’s 3,500+ syndicated audiences can be sent to 200+ leading social platforms, such as Meta and Pinterest, TV, and programmatic advertising platforms, and activated directly within Audigent, a part of Experian, with private marketplaces (PMPs)./li>
  • Reach consumers based on who they are, where they live, and their household makeup. Experian ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset for key demographic attributes.
  • Access to unique audiences through Experian’s Partner Audiences available on Experian’s data marketplace, within Audigent, a part of Experian, for activation in PMPs, and directly on platforms like DirectTV, DV360, Magnite, OpenAP, and The Trade Desk.

You can activate our syndicated audiences on-the-shelf of most major platforms. For a full list, download our syndicated audiences guide.

Where can you activate Experian Audiences?

Experian Audiences can be activated on 200+ leading social platforms, such as Meta and Pinterest, TV, and programmatic advertising platforms, and activated directly within Audigent, a part of Experian, with private marketplaces (PMPs), or found directly on over 30 platforms, including:

Need a custom audience? Reach out to our audience team, and we can help you build and activate an Experian audience on the platform of your choice.

You can activate political audiences across most major platforms, either directly or through Audigent PMPs, including select partner audiences shown below. For campaigns with specialized needs, our team can also support custom audience development and partner data collaboration.

CivicScience, L2, Resonate logos

Want to activate an Experian Audience on Meta, Pinterest, Snap, TikTok or on a platform not listed above? Contact us today.

Matching political messages with verified voter audiences

Political campaigns face pressure to reduce waste and prevent mismatched targeting, as recent election cycles show millions of dollars spent reaching voters who were not eligible or relevant to specific races.

Experian offers more than 240 politically relevant audiences, built on voter registration data and validated modeling, supporting responsible audience selection and geographic alignment. Our audience team reviews and maintains these segments to support relevance, scale, and compliance.

You can activate our political audiences on-the-shelf of most major platforms. Can’t find the audience you’re looking for or need a custom audience? Connect with our audience team for more information. Additionally, work with Experian’s network of data providers to build audiences and send to an Audigent PMP for activation.

Connect with our audience team

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FAQs

What are Experian Audiences? 

Experian Audiences are pre-built, privacy-compliant consumer segments that help marketers target based on verified demographic, financial, and behavioral data. This includes more than 240 politically relevant audiences designed for flexibility across channels and can be activated on 200+ platforms, including major social, CTV, and programmatic partners. 
 
Experian ranks #1 in demographic accuracy according to Truthset, and marketers can choose from 3,500+ syndicated audiences that capture signals such as income, spending behavior, household structure, financial attitudes, and ability to pay. These same audiences are also available through partnerships on platforms like DirecTV, Dish, Magnite, OpenAP, and The Trade Desk. 
 
For a deeper look at our audience catalog, explore our syndicated audience guide

What are the three political audience categories?  

Three political audience segments that can help political campaigns and advocacy organizations align messaging with voter priorities, behaviors, and geography.  
 
More than 240 politically relevant Experian Audiences are available across TV, demand-side, and supply-side platforms. These audiences support campaign planning and activation across three core categories: 
– Political affiliations 
– Political personas 
– Relevant ballot initiative audiences 

Which types of organizations use Experian’s political audiences?

Political campaigns, advocacy groups, ballot initiative committees, and public affairs organizations use Experian’s political audiences to align their outreach with voter registration data, modeled attributes, and geographic boundaries. 

How are Experian’s political affiliation audiences built? 

Experian’s political affiliation audiences use voter registration records combined with Experian modeling to scale reach beyond file-based targeting and support activation across media platforms. In addition, Experian offers political persona audiences, which are built using modeled signals that reflect ideological leaning and issue orientation rather than formal party registration. Political personas help campaigns understand voting mindset and policy priorities across the political spectrum, including voters who lean without formal party affiliation. 

Where can Experian Audiences be activated?

Experian Audiences can be activated on 200+ leading social platforms, such as Meta and Pinterest, TV, and programmatic advertising platforms, and activated directly within Audigent, a part of Experian, with private marketplaces (PMPs), or found directly on over 30 platforms. 

How do Experian’s political personas differ from our party affiliation audiences? 

Experian’s political personas focus on issue orientation and voting mindset, while Experian’s party affiliation audiences focus on voter registration status. Political persona audiences support messaging tied to policy topics, economic priorities, and social issues, while party affiliation audiences are commonly used to align outreach with registered party status and base mobilization strategies. 


Footnote

  1. “Fair Lending Friendly” indicates data fields that Experian has made available without use of certain demographic attributes that may increase the likelihood of discriminatory practices prohibited by the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”) and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”). These excluded attributes include, but may not be limited to, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, disability, handicap, family status, ancestry, sexual orientation, unfavorable military discharge, and gender. Experian’s provision of Fair Lending Friendly indicators does not constitute legal advice or otherwise assures your compliance with the FHA, ECOA, or any other applicable laws. Clients should seek legal advice with respect to your use of data in connection with lending decisions or application and compliance with applicable laws.

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At Experian, our long history as a regulated data steward makes us a uniquely capable and trusted partner for managing modern compliance expectations. Our identity resolution solutions maximize the value of permission-based data while meeting consumer demand for privacy, personalization, and control. Struggling with scattered customer data? Experian makes identity resolution seamless Learn more How does identity resolution help brands? Identity resolution turns fragmented signals into unified profiles that drive personalization, efficiency, and compliance. Here’s how it creates measurable business impact. Creates a unified customer view One of the biggest advantages of identity resolution is the ability to integrate data from loyalty programs, point-of-sale (POS) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, web analytics, and offline sources into a single, comprehensive profile. Experian strengthens identity resolution with AI-driven clustering models that resolve household and individual identities across billions of signals with greater accuracy. With a clearer picture of each customer, brands see higher match rates and larger addressable audiences, which translates to more substantial reach and better return on ad spend (ROAS). Enables better personalization Customers constantly switch devices, update their information, and change preferences. Experian makes it easier to keep pace with these changes through frequent data enrichment and near-real-time identity resolution via Activity Feed. Combined with our long-standing use of AI and machine learning, this approach ensures shifting behaviors are captured quickly, enabling timely personalization, and more responsive engagement. With less delay from data to action, the result is faster response times and higher conversion rates. Improves the customer experience Customers notice when brands deliver relevant ads and contextual content across every channel. Consistency matters! But consistency doesn’t just happen on its own; it comes from identity resolution, which keeps the customer journey connected. As brands maintain continuity, they build trust, strengthen engagement, and increase customer lifetime value. Drives better marketing ROI Not every profile is valuable. Identity resolution helps marketers identify the highest-value audiences and reduce wasted spend. That efficiency leads to lower CPA and a higher overall ROI across campaigns. The power of modeling from a stronger foundation When you have a unified customer view, your models are built on better data. That means you can find more people who look like your best customers, build more responsive audience segments, and target with greater accuracy. This foundation can lead to better spending, more relevant campaigns, and a higher ROI. Maintains privacy compliance With GLBA/FCRA-grade standards and consumer choice mechanisms like opt-outs and data correction, you can protect your brand while maintaining personalization — without compromising legal or ethical safeguards. What are some identity resolution use cases and examples? Every industry faces its own unique identity challenges, but identity resolution is the common thread that turns scattered data into connected experiences. Let’s break down how companies in different verticals are putting it to work (and the kinds of results they’re seeing). Retail and e-commerce Shoppers bounce between websites, carts, and checkout lines, leaving behind scattered signals in the process. In retail, identity resolution bridges the gap between online and in-store experiences by matching online carts with loyalty swipes or connecting connected TV (CTV) exposure to in-store sales. This means fewer silos, better targeting, and more personalized offers wherever people shop. Our 2025 Digital trends and predictions report calls out that omnichannel experiences aren’t optional anymore. With CTV and social dominating spend, brands need identity resolution to cut through silos and build a complete view of customer behavior. Read the full report Financial services In financial services, identity resolution makes it possible to deliver personalized, compliant offers like refinancing options for likely mortgage switchers or the right rewards card for frequent spenders. Our partnership with FMCG Direct to create Consumer Financial Insights® and Financial Personalities® segments helps banks, insurers, and lenders understand behaviors — such as credit card use, deposit balances, and investment habits — without exposing sensitive details. Read more below about how our financial audiences enable privacy-safe personalization. Explore privacy-safe financial audiences Travel and hospitality Travel decisions aren’t always planned out in advance. Many bookings happen spur-of-the-moment, which is why real-time identity resolution is so powerful; it keeps the journey seamless when travelers jump from phone to laptop to tablet and presents relevant offers right as decisions are being made. Windstar Cruises put this information into action with Experian’s identity graph to connect digital interactions with actual bookings, which drove 6,500+ reservations and $20 million in revenue. Get the $20 million Windstar Cruises playbook here Media and TV Viewers tend to hop around between linear TV, streaming apps, and social feeds. And without identity resolution, every screen looks like a different person. Marketers can accurately plan, activate, and measure campaigns by unifying viewing behaviors into one ID with Experian’s AI-powered identity graph. Optimum Media tackled its multiscreen challenge by partnering with Experian for identity solutions. Layering our audience insights and our AI-driven Digital Graph onto their subscriber data, they were able to connect the dots across channels, reach the right households, and measure results instead of just impressions. In the end, they finally got a clear view of what works across every screen. Learn how Optimum Media mastered multiscreen measurement Curious how identity resolution can power your customer analytics? We can walk you through it. Chat with an expert Healthcare and pharma Healthcare marketers can’t afford slip-ups with HIPAA regulations. Identity resolution makes it possible to engage the right patients and providers with de-identified audiences rather than third-party cookies. At Experian, AI and machine learning have always been part of how we power identity resolution. In healthcare, that means using AI-enhanced modeling to connect de-identified clinical and claims data with lifestyle insights. The result is a more comprehensive picture of the patient journey that helps close care gaps, reduce wasted spending, and improve outcomes. By working with partners like Komodo, PurpleLab, and Health Union, we make it possible to activate campaigns at scale that boost engagement and adherence while keeping patient privacy front and center: Komodo Health enriches our identity graph with insights from millions of de-identified patient journeys plus lifestyle data, giving brands a fuller view of where care gaps exist and how to close them. PurpleLab connects real-world clinical and claims data to Experian’s platform, letting advertisers activate HIPAA-compliant audiences across CTV, mobile, and social with the ability to measure real outcomes like prescription lift and provider engagement. Health Union contributes a data set built from 50 million+ patient IDs and 44 billion+ patient-reported data points. Combined with our identity and modeling capabilities, this expands match rates and unlocks up to 76% net-new reach, so campaigns reach patients and caregivers in critical health moments. As a result, healthcare brands can launch campaigns that are privacy-first, highly targeted, and proven to drive meaningful impact. Audio People use audio while commuting, working out, and even folding laundry. It can be one of the hardest channels to track because of how frequently listeners switch between apps, stations, and devices. Experian’s identity resolution partnerships with Audacy and DAX change the game: Audacy helps tie scattered listening into a single view, so advertisers can follow audiences across devices and keep ads relevant in the moment. DAX pairs Experian’s 2,400+ syndicated audiences with its audio network, enabling brands to target precisely and launch impactful campaigns at scale. These partnerships turn audio into an accurate channel where ads feel personal, privacy-safe, and measurable. Gaming Gamers don’t stick to one platform. Player data gets scattered across mobile, console, and PC, so it’s tough to keep track of individuals. Experian helps stitch those signals together so publishers can finally see the whole picture, personalize gameplay, and keep players coming back. With enriched profiles, publishers can deliver offers that resonate and unlock fresh revenue by packaging high-value gaming audiences for advertisers outside the industry. Unity, a leading gaming platform, is tapping into Experian’s syndicated audiences to gain player insights and help advertisers reach gamers across mobile, web, and CTV. For global publishers, unifying player data with Experian has driven higher engagement and stronger ad ROI. Discover how to unlock revenue with unified player data How should I evaluate identity resolution providers? When choosing an identity resolution partner, look for: Data scale and quality: The value of identity resolution depends on how complete and accurate the underlying data is. The right provider should bring together a wide range of identifiers from online and offline sources, maintaining high accuracy so your customer profiles are broad and reliable. Match accuracy and recency: The best partners also refresh their data regularly and can blend deterministic (exact, one-to-one matches) with probabilistic (pattern-based matches) methods. That way, you get the accuracy of “this email is definitely that customer” with the reach of “this device likely belongs to the same person.” Privacy and compliance readiness: Compliance can’t be an afterthought. Your identity partner should be ready for GLBA, FCRA, GDPR, CCPA, and the latest state-level rules with built-in tools for opt-outs, corrections, and deletions. Integration flexibility: A good provider fits into your world, not the other way around. Look for pre-built integrations with your customer data platform (CDP), demand-side platform (DSP), or marketing tech (MarTech) stack so you can get up and running without the heavy IT lift. Data analytics capabilities: You need proof that identity resolution drives ROI. Look for closed-loop measurement that ties unified IDs directly to campaign performance, so you can see what’s working and optimize with confidence. How Experian enables enterprise-grade identity resolution Experian delivers identity resolution at the scale, accuracy, and compliance required by the world’s largest enterprises. Our solutions are: Built on trust: Backed by 40+ years as a regulated data steward and rated #1 in data accuracy by Truthset, so you can act with confidence. Powered by our proprietary AI-enhanced identity graph: Combining breadth, accuracy, and recency across four billion identifiers, continuously refined by machine learning for maximum accuracy. Seamlessly connected: Pre-built data integration with leading CDPs, DSPs, and MarTech platforms for faster time to value. Always up to date: Frequent enrichment and near-real-time identity resolution through Activity Feed for timely personalization and more responsive customer engagement. Privacy-first by design: Compliance with GLBA, FCRA, and emerging state regulations baked in at every step, supported by rigorous partner vetting. The bottom line Identity resolution turns fragmented signals into connected, measurable, and compliant experiences. From retail to gaming, brands using it see stronger personalization, engagement, and ROI. With Experian, you get the data, trust, and responsible AI innovation to make identity resolution work across every channel. Our approach uses AI to connect identities, predict behaviors, and deliver personalization that balances privacy with performance. If you’re ready to turn fragmented data into growth, now’s the time to start. The world’s leading brands trust us to power identity resolution at scale. See how we can do the same for you. Identity resolution FAQs What’s the difference between deterministic and probabilistic matching? Deterministic uses exact identifiers (like an email) for accuracy, while probabilistic uses signals and algorithms to expand reach. Best-in-class providers usually combine both. How does identity resolution improve ROI? Identity resolution helps with personalization by unifying scattered signals into one profile. It reduces wasted spend and increases match rates, which means bigger addressable audiences and higher ROAS. Can identity resolution work without third-party cookies? Yes. With first-party data and hashed PII, brands can still maintain addressability and personalization. What industries benefit most from identity resolution? Retail, finance, travel, media, gaming, and audio all use identity resolution to personalize, attribute sales, and improve efficiency. How is Experian different from a CDP? A customer data platform unifies the data you already own. Meanwhile, we add depth, scale, and higher match rates by layering in our identity graph and data enrichment. Is Experian identity resolution privacy-compliant? Yes. Experian is GLBA/FCRA compliant, GDPR/CCPA ready, and supports consumer opt-outs and corrections to ensure responsible personalization. Latest posts

Oct 22,2025 by Experian Marketing Services

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