Background
At the start of 2023, DSPolitical launched a focused effort to clean up the programmatic media supply powering our clients’ campaigns. We sought to ensure more of every dollar was spent on working media—the portion of an advertising budget that directly funds ad placements in front of voters—rather than unnecessary fees or unverified inventory.
Through a process known as Supply Path Optimization (SPO), we reduced complexity, cut waste, and made it easier for our campaigns to find and persuade the right voters with greater frequency, making every campaign dollar work harder and smarter.
Read more about how SPO works here.
Our Approach
SSP Partnerships
Using rigorous evaluation criteria, we streamlined our supply chain, moving from over 100 SSPs (supply-side platforms) to just 12 preferred partners. This reduced redundancy, avoided publisher overlap, and cut ad tech tax, allowing our clients’ media investments to go further and reach more voters.
A Global Allow-list
Rather than maintaining a constantly changing blocklist, we flipped the model, creating a curated allow-list of verified, high-quality destinations where impressions can be served. Working hand-in-hand with SSP partners, we ensured each source met strict quality and brand safety standards, helping us avoid playing Whac-A-Mole with fraud, MFAs (made-for-advertising sites), and other low-value placements popping up constantly.
Deal Library
To support our voter-file–based targeting and ensure scale across Display, Online Video (OLV), and Connected TV (CTV), we developed a deal library of over 200 pre-vetted private marketplace deals. These gave us access to premium, ID-supported inventory, critical levers for high-frequency voter engagement.
ID Symmetry
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, DSPolitical integrated FreeWheel ID into our buying logic. This innovation enabled us to match voter file data to validated IP addresses via Beeswax and the FreeWheel Identity Network, dramatically improving our ability to identify and reach the right voters across CTV.
The Results
When comparing our SPO-enhanced campaigns in the 2024 cycle to those from 2022, we saw clear performance gains, particularly across OLV and CTV.
Increased Frequency = Greater Impact
Frequency refers to how many times the same person sees an ad. When managed carefully, seeing an ad multiple times helps a voter recognize and remember the message without feeling overwhelmed or annoyed. Sending multiple messages to the same person is often more effective than sending just one; it builds familiarity, trust, and increases the likelihood of persuasion.
- CTV frequency increased by 127.84%, reaching an average of 8.3 messages per voter
- OLV frequency nearly doubled, up 99.52% to an average of 5.56
- Overall frequency increased by 36.84%
Private Deals Outperformed Open Exchange
Private marketplace deals are direct relationships with trusted publishers that give us more control over where ads appear, while the open exchange is a broader, less regulated marketplace with placements that can come with trade-offs in quality or targeting precision. By using private deals, we prioritize high-quality inventory, giving us better insight into where our ads run and who sees them.
- Average frequency on private marketplace deals: 7.4
- Average frequency on open exchange inventory: 4.5
Better Frequency Distribution
Before SPO, a majority of impressions were wasted on single-touch exposure. Post-SPO, we saw a more even and effective distribution, especially on CTV, where voters were reached multiple times throughout the campaign.
Why It Matters
In persuasion-driven media, frequency is everything. With SPO, we didn’t just cut waste. We gave our clients the ability to reach the exact voters they need more often, with more confidence in the quality and integrity of every impression.
By tightening our supply path, we unlocked stronger performance, higher accountability, and better outcomes—exactly what Democratic campaigns need heading into 2026 and beyond.