At DSPolitical, we’re committed to ensuring our supply path is cleaner and more equitable, and that more of every campaign budget is invested in working media rather than unnecessary fees or unverified/low-quality inventory. One of the most effective ways we’ve done this is through a rigorous Supply Path Optimization (SPO) initiative.
To learn more, we sat down with Russell Wagner, our Senior Director of Advertising Technology, whose team leads this work. In our conversation, he explains what the media buying team does, the importance of SPO, and what this means for Democratic campaigns heading into 2026 and beyond.
Q: What does the media buying team do at DSPolitical?
Russell: The media buying team controls the end-to-end process of campaign management. That includes everything from receiving campaign objectives, trafficking campaign structures, launching initiatives, optimizing investment, and troubleshooting bothersome areas of impression delivery. This approach ensures every campaign that comes across our desks reaches its fullest potential.
Q: For those who may not know, what is SPO, and why is it important?
Russell: SPO, or Supply Path Optimization, is really about cutting through the noise in programmatic advertising. On one end, you have media buyers like us, and on the other, publishers who sell ad space. But between those two points, there can be a maze of middlemen, markups, and low-quality inventory. SPO helps us simplify that. It helps cut out the clutter by focusing on the most direct, high-quality ways to buy and sell digital ad space.
Q: What steps did DSPolitical take to implement SPO?
Russell: In 2023, we prioritized directing campaign dollars toward real voter impressions to maximize effectiveness. To do that, we created a clear, detailed rubric to evaluate partners on factors like inventory quality and even environmental impact. Then, we used those standards to streamline our supply chain, building a global allow-list of trusted sites, and creating a library of private marketplace deals. We also added new identity integrations to make voter matching more accurate. This gave campaigns more control over their spend while cutting out waste and improving quality.
For a deeper look at our approach, explore the full breakdown in our recent case study here.
Q: What results have you seen so far?
Russell: The results have been really encouraging. When we compared campaigns in 2024 to those in 2022, the difference was clear. CTV frequency went up 127%, with voters seeing an average of 8 messages each. Online video frequency grew 2x, with voters seeing about 6 messages. Overall, frequency across all channels rose by 37%. In practice, that means impressions were spread out more effectively, fewer voters saw just a single ad, and more voters were reached multiple times in ways that really matter.
Q: What excites you most about the future of ad tech at DSPolitical?
Russell: I’m excited by the growth of emerging formats like DOOH and audio as they move toward programmatic maturity. While these formats are available now, they currently require special considerations and only allow us to buy a portion of what’s truly available to reach voters. As they mature, we’ll see more standardization and greater opportunities to scale. I’m also interested in how AI will improve decision-making on both the buy and supply side, helping us achieve better performance and more predictable outcomes.
Q: What does this mean for campaigns heading into 2026?
Russell: When you clean up the supply path, the results speak for themselves. SPO isn’t just about cutting out waste; it’s about reaching voters more often, and having confidence that every impression is real and meaningful. Heading into 2026, that kind of accountability is going to be critical. And with the tech continuing to evolve, we’re ready to keep pushing the envelope so Democratic campaigns have the best tools possible.
Looking Ahead
By spearheading this initiative, Russell and his team have delivered real, measurable value to campaigns—higher frequency, better quality, and more persuasive impressions. As we look toward 2026, SPO will remain a central part of our ad tech strategy, ensuring Democratic campaigns continue to have the resources they need to persuade, mobilize, and win.