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Brexit Research Technology

The ‘Vote Remain’ lobby is missing out on key audience targeting according to TubeMogul

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By Ronan Shields, Digital Editor

June 20, 2016 | 3 min read

Over two-thirds (69 per cent) of the UK electorate have not seen a paid-for video ad relating to this week’s EU referendum vote, according to a survey from TubeMogul, which further suggests that the statistic demonstrates the Vote Remain campaign is missing out on a key opportunity.

Pinsent Masons, Brexit

Polling day for the EU referendum is 23 June

The ad tech outfit today (20 June) unveiled the results of an extensive poll of nearly 40,000 of the UK electorate which stated that 69 per cent haven’t seen a single online video ad relating to the Brexit campaign.

In addition, of the remaining 31 per cent who did report seeing an ad, almost one third felt that the messages served were irrelevant, or ‘did not speak directly to them’.

Furthermore, TubeMogul claims this demonstrates that the Remain camp is missing out a crucial opportunity to tell its key supporter base to turn out and vote on election day, a message that comes as a separate Opinium study suggests that both camps in the referendum are in a dead heat.

Key Remain supporters (such as 18-39 year olds and London residents) are the same demographics that tend to consume media primarily online, and given that the ‘Vote Leave’ camp is likely to have a higher voter turnout come polling day, the pro-EU camp is missing out on a key opportunity, claims TubeMogul.

“This is a missed opportunity,” says Matthew Dybwad, TubeMogul’s head of political and public affairs.

Limiting online video spend may result in political advertisers missing key audiences, specifically those that would be more amenable to pro-Remain messaging.

“Too often, campaign media buyers run back to the notion of 1,000 gross rating points on TV as the only metric that moves the needle. They don’t always fully understand the power of digital to change the narrative,” added Dybwad (who is based in the US).

According to TubeMogul, the pro-EU lobby in the UK can learn lessons from political campaigners across the Atlantic, such as the Bernie Sanders campaign to win the Democrat Party nomination for the US presidency – one that resounded well with the ‘youth vote’.

“Online video works. The Sanders campaign proved it,” added Dybwad. “Sanders used powerful video creative to carry his populist message to channels where millennials get their content: online, mobile, social and connected devices. He found a successful formula very early for digital fundraising. Converting target audiences into activists and donors with digital advertising is often far more attractive because startup costs are lower and it’s far easier to scale quickly.”

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