Ad Bans & Prices Got You Down? Texting is the #1 Way to GOTV

In the wake of these recent political ad bans, zero party platforms have become exponentially more valuable than they already were for GOTV outreach.

First of all, what is GOTV?

GOTV is short for Get Out The Vote. Driving members of your coalition to the polls on election day is a vital step to winning elections. GOTV events, drives, and social initiatives are the cornerstone of winning campaigns. US GOTV looks a little different now with wide-scale mail-in balloting, but the importance of GOTV efforts is still the same. The sharp candidate or organization will encourage, motivate, and coordinate their voters to poll. Even nonpartisan advocacy organizations will participate in GOTV to maximize democratic participation, regardless of political party. Common methods are door to door canvassing, phone banks for phone calls, direct mail, app use, and now texting.

If there is one trend that has dominated outbound marketing and voter contact over the last two years, it has been the decreasing utility of third-party platforms and third-party data/information for reaching voters when it matters most. The effectiveness of these traditional methods can vary significantly, making it crucial to explore alternative strategies.

The Market at a Glance 

While these changes have affected advertisers across all industries, political campaigns and organizations face the additional challenge of bans on campaign and issue based advertising. These bans range from: 

• The total ban on political ads from Netflix 
• The ban on political ads and paid influencer political content on TikTok
• The ban of new political ads after November 1st on Facebook (next week!)

These bans come as no surprise, as big tech made the unprecedented move to instate similar bans in 2020. Just as in 2020, political advertisers should prepare to see incorrectly blocked ads begin pouring in. 

In addition, Apple’s infamous 2021 iOS update severely limited the previously robust pixel and cookie-based tracking tools that had allowed precise voter targeting and long-tail retargeting with Google and Facebook ads. Apple’s 2022 iOS update goes even further and blocks email senders from being able to see data on how users interact with emails, curbing the value of email as a reliable outreach channel exponentially.

That’s not all, though. 

We are seeing every kind of video inventory begin to dry up: OTT & CTV are becoming sold out or skyrocketing in cost. This Campaigns & Elections article lays out what industry experts are saying: 

"Media buyers are used to late-money surges, but 2022 is an unprecedented situation in many ways. Campaigns and groups are armed with historically high budgets for a midterm cycle and many are hunting for more CTV inventory that’s, for the most part, purchased through auction-based pricing.

‘You are going to see increased prices. It’s just how the dynamics of supply and demand work,’ Erik Brydges, who heads political advertising at Microsoft’s Xandr, told C&E.

Smaller campaigns likely don’t meet the minimum spend threshold of, say, $50,000 for some premium OTT publishers."

Cable TV is not a viable channel for anyone seeking a last minute GOTV push. According to Advertising Week, “the cable marketplace has become fragmented and slow. It can take two weeks to understand what inventory is available for each provider and another two weeks to get it executed.” Couple this with the staggering amount of cord cutters in the U.S. and virtually non-existent third party performance data, and you can count cable out.  

With a dwindling number of third party platform options for political advertisers, even platforms that allow your ads are limiting your ability to publish any new ads during the critical final week of the campaign. 

What is the Solution? Peer-to-Peer Texting!

n this environment, it has never been more important to leverage your zero, first, and second-party data on platforms like RumbleUp to put your GOTV messages directly onto the handsets of your potential voters. To create effective campaigns, marketers now need to practice new strategies, develop tactics to watch and analyze user behavior, fix issues related to data tracking, and conclude their efforts with actionable insights despite these limitations.

RumbleUp can deliver your messaging campaigns during the final days with the fastest turnaround times in voter contact. When it is too late to run new ads on Facebook, too late to get a mailer delivered, and all the remaining OTT/CTV inventory is gone, we can still reach your target audience directly with an average 97% delivery rate and 95% of texts read within the first 5 minutes of viewing.

Here are some of the reasons why over 2,400 GOP campaigns and organizations trust RumbleUp with their GOTV texting: 

• Highest successful delivery rate of any provider
• Fewest spam/undelivered events in the history of the P2P texting industry
• Best Video Texting
• Hands-on optimization of texting programs from our dedicated Client Support and Client Experience teams 
• Easiest to use platform
• Most powerful set of features 
• Access to zero party data given directly from voters
• Free landline scrubbing & free replies
• Optional full service and outsource sending 
• …and more!

For those looking to leap from digital advertising, our platform allows you to repurpose your digital creative into high-quality MMS messages, which are texts containing pictures and GIFs, with up to 640 characters.

We also have our award-winning Enhanced Video Texting (EVT) technology for those who have spent the time and effort to produce made-for-TV and made-for-digital video ads. EVT allows you to send high-quality, 30+ second videos embedded directly in texts with optional closed captions and custom thumbnails.

With our platform, you can keep your audience mobilized and engaged with timely reminders and updates. Our aim is to help you maximize your outreach efforts, ensuring that your messages reach their intended recipients effectively. Additionally, our subscription service offers continuous support and resources to keep your campaigns running smoothly. Whether you're targeting potential voters or providing entertainment content, our tools are designed to meet your needs.

Bottom Line

There is no better way to spend last minute campaign dollars than text messaging, and we will be at your side until the polls are closed. As the final days tick away and options disappear, RumbleUp is as ready as ever with industry-leading features and delivery. 

To start sending your critical GOTV messages and cut through the noise of the final weeks, sign up and start texting today at rumbleup.com, or contact our sales team at (833) 530-4400 or sales@rumbleup.com to talk about how texting can best work for you.

Latest News in P2P Texting:

-  What Consultants Will Be Watching For On Election Night ’22- Campaigns&Elections