Tru Optik’s New Cloud Targets Voters for Candidates

With the presidential election cycle heating up, Tru Optik is launching a new product to help political advertisers use over-the-top, connected TV and streaming video to target voters group based on data including party affiliation, past voting behavior and positions on issues.

The Tru Optik Political Data Cloud, unveiled in Cannes, employs data from nearly a dozen data providers including both outfits affiliated with the major political parties such as Target Smart, as well as independent providers including L2, Comscore and Dataline, and can be used in local, state and national races.

The new product will make it easier for campaigns to use digital media, which accounted for less than 15% of ad spending in the 2016 presidential election. That’s expected to more than double in 2020.

“Make no mistake, the media battleground that will separate many winners from losers in 2020 will be through the ability to effectively deploy targeted connected TV and streaming audio advertising,” said Andre Swanston, CEO of Tru Optik, an audience intelligence and data management platform for OTT and CTV.

“These are now mainstream media, with much more targeting power than traditional TV and radio, and exceptional reach among millennial and multi-cultural households. Tru Optik’s Political Data Cloud lets politicians and advocacy groups reach the voters most receptive to their platform or cause in a privacy compliant manner with a combination of precision and scale that until now was not possible,” Swanston said.

The new product will make it easier for campaigns to use digital media, which accounted for less than 15% of ad spending in the 2016 presidential election. That’s expected to more than double in 2020.

“We’re already talking to media companies and political ad agencies whose clients are eager to launch connected TV campaigns,” said Paul Westcott, senior VP of L2. “The Tru Optik Political Data Cloud allows political advertisers to use our data to precisely target and reach specific voter segments across streaming television and radio.”

Some forecasts have election year political spending reaching a record of $10 billion in 2020. Campaigns are under pressure to spend that money in the most efficient and effective ways.

“The quality of data and insights surrounding an ad need to be precise, effective and timely. Integrating our data with Tru Optik means our clients have the tools to reach desired audiences and the flexibility to adjust those audiences throughout the campaign cycle,” added Matt Taverna, chief revenue officer, TargetSmart.

The Tru Optic Political Data Cloud is currently available to select test groups. It will be available to all Tru Optik clients in September.

“ We’re excited to continue our partnership with Tru Optik and further enable scalable, privacy-compliant access to these data sets through our integration of the Political Data Cloud,” said Aleck Schleider, senior VP, client and data strategy at Amobee. 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.