• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Shop
  • Jobs Board
Campaigns & Elections logo

Campaigns & Elections

  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Articles
    • Industry News
    • CampaignTech
    • Creative
  • Videos
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Reports
  • Expert Database
  • Events
  • Awards
    • Reed Awards
    • CampaignTech Awards
    • Rising Stars
  • Consultant Directory
  • Become a Member
  • Shop
  • Job Board
  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

BuzzFeed Says It Can Supercharge Your Campaign’s Content

Campaigns looking to create social media buzz have a new tool at their disposal. BuzzFeed is pitching an offering that can take a campaign’s 60-second TV ad and fashion it into shareable content that could significantly expand the digital reach of the average ad.   

The digital media company made headlines earlier this cycle when its editorial department created videos for Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaigns. Now, BuzzFeed’s ad team is opening its doors to campaigns and advocacy groups looking to create easily shareable content that appears as native advertising on BuzzFeed.com.

Our Principles PAC, an anti-Donald Trump group, was one of the first to buy a spot that features GIFs of women reciting misogynistic quotes from Trump. Bernie Sanders’ campaign has also made a buy, the company said.

BuzzFeed has been on the receiving end of political ad spending since 2012, but this is the first time its ad team is creating the content for its political clients, according to Rena Shapiro, who heads the company’s outreach to campaigns. 

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“[Before] we weren’t doing actual creation – this is a brand new concept,” she said. “Anyone can create content. But what makes BuzzFeed unique is we have the data and technology to distribute it.”

The Our Principles ad is a hybrid of a one-minute video and a collection of chryoned GIFs. 

“You don’t have to watch the video,” Shapiro said. “Quite often a 60-second video spot is content that’s not easily sharable, but our creative team is so good at finding a unique way to present information.”

BuzzFeed is pitching its ad offerings more widely to campaigns just as the media company debuted a new ad format at SxSW Interactive Saturday. The company is labeling the new format “swarm.” It centers on content creation for an array of different audiences targeted to multiple platforms in an effort to “light up the internet all at once.”  

While that’s not the offering Our Principles PAC opted for (swarm is in beta), BuzzFeed is also marketing the swarm format to campaigns and advocacy groups. 

Campaigns, like all advertisers, dream that their spots will explode across the Web. But that’s not the norm. Shapiro stressed that campaigns don’t need to be national or adopt a comedic tone in order to take advantage of BuzzFeed’s advertising offering. She noted a state Senate candidate in Wisconsin is investing in the service. 

Share:
FacebookTweetLinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

By
Sean J. Miller
03/16/2016 05:08 PM EDT
FacebookTweetLinkedIn

C&E Creative Summit 2023 Countdown:

Get Tickets

Most Read

  • Digital Organizing

    How Digital Can Help Thread the Needle in Virginia

  • Sponsored

    Combine Digital Advertising With Direct Mail, The SMART Way

  • Sponsored

    Political Comms Is The Premium Peer-To-Peer Texting Platform

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Become a member and get access to exclusive content.

Join Today

Footer

Upcoming Events

  • June 28

    The Future of Politics: Three Cutting-Edge Tools to Win in 2024

  • September 21

    Campaigns & Elections Creative Summit

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

For the latest in campaign strategy & tactics plus industry news and analysis, subscribe for free today.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow us

Follow Campaign and Elections for more daily content.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Political World Communications, LLC

Advertisement

Subscribe for Industry News Plus the Latest in Campaign Strategy & Tactics

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.