CTV by industry
Political & Advocacy CTV Advertising
For campaigns, committees and issue-advocacy groups
CS & Co. runs political CTV for campaigns, committees and issue-advocacy groups. Political is a fixed-deadline, geographically bounded category. CTV should move persuadable voters and keep the message in memory inside the target district, then prove whether exposure drives site visits, donations, volunteer and petition sign-ups, and cost per persuadable household reached.
Find out if CTV is a fitWhere it usually breaks
Why does political CTV underperform?
Because campaigns buy streaming like linear: a broad reach buy that over-serves the base and under-serves the persuadable voters who decide the race. And because the clock runs to a fixed election date, there is no time to fix a measurement setup that wasn't right at launch.
Two things we find almost every time
- Disclaimer short of the rule. The “paid for by” disclaimer is under the FEC minimum for internet video, at least four seconds on screen with letters at least four percent of picture height, or it is missing from the streaming cut, and state disclosure and recordkeeping rules were never mapped.
- DMAs that bleed across district lines. A congressional-district race pays for impressions outside the district, and with no in-district incrementality test, persuasion can't be proven before election day.
The measurement framework
What will your board ask about political CTV?
CTV's job in political is to reach persuadable voters in the district and keep the message in memory. These four questions test whether it reached the right households and what each contact and action cost.
1
Did the right household notice?
Brand signals, measured against a geo control
- Persuadable households reached in the district
- Completed-view rate on the disclaimer-compliant spot
- Message recall
- Recall by district and DMA
2
Did it change what they did next?
Intent signals: behavior after exposure
- Campaign-site sessions
- Issue and policy page views
- Register-to-vote and volunteer page sessions
- Donate-page starts
3
Did it move the business?
Business outcomes, proven with The CS Method™
- Donations
- Volunteer and petition sign-ups
- Email-list sign-ups
- Matched-district incrementality test
4
What did each outcome cost?
Acquisition efficiency: cost per real result
- Cost per donation
- Cost per sign-up
- Cost per petition signature
- Cost per persuadable household reached
Your KPIs get set together on the call, against your numbers, not this list.
What proof does CS & Co. have in political advertising?
Want to see how we’d measure yours? We’ll walk you through our full test design on the call, and share references under NDA. The method is The CS Method™, the same one behind our health & wellness case study, where an incrementality test showed 41.4% more purchases among households that saw the ads.
Which rules apply to political CTV ads?
Federal political ads carry the “paid for by” disclaimer set out in FEC rules (11 CFR 110.11); many states add their own disclosure and recordkeeping rules. Campaign counsel approves every cut.
Regulatory note updated September 2026. This is not legal advice.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
What disclaimer does a political CTV ad need?
Federal ads need a "paid for by" disclaimer that meets FEC rules for video: on screen for at least four seconds, with letters at least four percent of picture height. Many states add their own requirements, so CS & Co. maps them before the first cut is approved.
Can CTV target a congressional district?
Yes, more precisely than a DMA buy. CS & Co. builds the geo target from the district's ZIPs and voter-file matches, so impressions stay inside the lines, and runs an in-district incrementality test to measure persuasion before election day.
What happens to CTV prices from September to November?
They rise as campaigns crowd into the same inventory, which is why CS & Co. plans political CTV early and locks measurement at launch. Our Insights post on the 2026 midterms covers the detail.
One way to start
What would a customer cost you on CTV?
Most CTV plans are DECAF. They spend, they report, and nobody can prove what they sold. CS & Co. plans, buys and measures your streaming TV against the number you're held to, proves what it caused with The CS Method™, and only earns past the plan fee when that number moves.
Find out if CTV is a fitStarts with a 15-minute fit-and-scope call with a senior operator, not an SDR. Nothing is charged until we agree it's a fit.