Priorities USA Bets on Mobile-Only GOTV Ads for Latinos and Black Voters

Priorities USA is "all in" for Hillary Clinton, and in these final days leading to the Nov. 8 election, the Democratic Super PAC is all in for mobile advertising. The group is running 100% of its ads targeted to Latino and African-American voters on mobile platforms and apps. Based on data modeling and testing the group has done throughout the election season, Priorities USA is targeting Latino and African-American voters categorized as strong supporters of Ms. Clinton with a low propensity to turn out to vote. In other words, people who, if they do go to the polls, could help swing the vote in her favor in key states. "You want to remind them at a pretty high frequency when election day is," said Priorities USA Digital Director Tara McGowan, regarding lower-propensity voters. An ad targeted to African-Americans features footage of First Lady Michelle Obama's speech at a Manchester, New Hampshire rally in October in which she declared, "On Nov. 8, we can show our children that here in America, we reject hatred and fear and in difficult times, we don't discard our highest ideals. No, we rise up to meet them. We rise up to perfect our union." Some ads aimed at Latinos emphasize Donald Trump's fear-mongering against immigrant communities, others the need to vote for Ms. Clinton to ensure equal pay for women. "The vision that I see Donald Trump encouraging in Americans is a vision of fear. He has insulted us without validating what we contribute to this country," says Maria Gonzalez of Commerce City, Colorado, one of the states Priorities USA is focused on, in a mobile video ad aimed at Latino voters. "Believe me, in this election, your vote matters," she concludes. "Latino voters over-index on mobile and on social media," such as sharing, liking, posting, and viewing videos, said Ms. McGowan. "That was one of the reasons that I decided on the mobile-only approach." The organization, which counts prolific left-wing political donor George Soros among its top funders, is currently running video and display ads solely in mobile platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pandora, and in other apps. And they're not just aimed at millennials. Priorities USA believes it can reach older voters in these minority groups through mobile ads, too. In recent weeks Pandora has seen an influx of interest from political advertisers that want to "own" the mobile device the day before and of the election, said Sean Duggan, VP of ad sales at Pandora. "They finally know what they're going to have in the coffers the final week," he told Ad Age last week. Priorities USA ads targeting voter segments other than African-Americans and Latinos are hitting channels in addition to mobile. Some ads aimed at Latinos are in Spanish, some bilingual and some English, depending on the audience target. The group built the mobile ad creative and tested it in-house. When it comes to voters in Florida, the language is even more tailored. For instance, ads reaching people in geographic areas with mainly Cuban populations feature a young Cuban American, while those aimed at voters in places with a higher Puerto Rican population, feature a non-Cuban Latino woman.

Priorities USA Bets on Mobile-Only GOTV Ads for Latinos and Black Voters

Featured Stories