Effective "Surround Sound" Political Media Strategy

Using the "surround sound" media strategy where different screens play specific roles to drive a single narrative can get super complex. For issues that need a "national-ready" media plan—Local TV, Connected TV (CTV), and TikTok, using the same audience can work as an effective feedback loop.

Here is some guidance on how these three channels can use the same audience segments to support one another in a modern political campaign:

1. The Funnel: Layering National to Local Awareness to Viral Action

Political campaigns can use a "top-down" audience-driven approach where traditional media sets the stage for social media engagement.

• Audience-based Local TV (Local Linear):
  This is used for Extended Reach and Legitimacy. Sports programming and local news slots to reach older, reliable voters (Baby Boomers/Gen X) with "high-production" ads that establish issues or a core voting record (e.g., climate leadership or reproductive rights).
• Data-driven CTV (Streaming):
  This acts as the Precision Bridge. Using data-driven targeting, CTV ads reach "cord-cutters" on streaming platforms. These ads are often "non-skippable," ensuring the message is seen by specific audiences—like suburban swing voters—who might not be on TikTok.
• TikTok:
  This is the Engagement Engine. While TV tells you what to think, TikTok shows you how to feel. Posting "unfiltered" reactions, "all-caps" rebuttals to critics, and rapid-response clips that capitalize on moments first.

2. Synergistic Strategies

The real power comes from how these platforms pass the baton to one another:

The "Dual-Screen" Retargeting

When a voter sees an ad on their Local TV sporting event or Smart TV (CTV) during a basketball game or an entertainment program, the campaign can "retarget" that same household's mobile devices. Moments later, as that voter scrolls TikTok, they see a short-form, "behind-the-scenes" version of that same message. This repetition moves a voter from "I've heard of that" to "I support that." TV starts the impact and provides legitimacy and digital channels reinforce the message.

Validating Viral Content

If a video goes viral on TikTok (such as a debate "clap-back"), the production team can cut that "organic" footage into an audience-based Local TV or CTV ad. This keeps the issues or candidate culturally relevant and authentic to older audiences who missed the original TikTok trend, while saving on production costs.

Geofencing and Micro-Targeting

3. Combating "Pink Slime" and Misinformation

In the 2026 landscape, campaigns face "pink slime" sites—fake news outlets that use social media to spread anti-incumbent narratives.

• Local TV & CTV serve as the "source of truth" to debunk these online rumors. Audience driven campaigns can run "corrective" ads directly to the specific neighborhoods being targeted by misinformation.
• TikTok provides a platform to address these attacks personally, using "energy" to maintain a direct line to younger voters without a media filter.

Happy to help coordinate any of that with my media team.