CTV and OTT Propel Two California Judicial Candidates to Victory for Political Agency

An agency collaborated with Strategus to enhance two political campaigns for judicial candidates in a densely populated California county. Traditionally reliant on linear TV, the agency sought to leverage the digital capabilities of connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) advertising.

Strategus executed both campaigns in the final four weeks leading up to the county election, optimizing ad spend to reach a larger, more targeted audience efficiently. The result was successful campaigns that led to the election victories of both judicial candidates.

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Objective

• Win the election with at least 50% of the vote
• Achieve optimal exposure of 3-5 times per viewer.
• Reach ideal voters within the county on CTV and OTT devices.

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Strategy

Strategus adopted a comprehensive, audience-centric strategy, identifying key audiences by political affiliation, voting propensity, and demographics. The campaigns focused on Republican-affiliated, Hispanic, and no-party-preference voters, including homeowners in key areas. CTV, Online Video, and Display ads delivered consistent messaging across platforms, with frequency managed at 3–5 impressions per viewer to limit ad fatigue and support message retention.

A live reporting dashboard enabled real-time adjustments to balance tactics with budget constraints. Strategus continually optimized the campaigns by retargeting voters across devices and refining audience pools as new data became available. The campaigns served 876,310 targeted impressions for Judge 1 and 1,204,825 for Judge 2; both candidates won, capturing 60.37% and 55.37% of the vote, respectively. This agile, cross-device approach helped maximize reach and exposure and turn digital engagement into voter action.