The Ad Network Building a ‘Collective’ of Dem-Aligned Brands

A Democratic-aligned media network is seizing on the rapidly expanding media landscape to pitch campaigns and other advertisers on a new strategy: More work with influencers, content creators and values-aligned brands.

The goal of ConnectBlue, according to its CEO Bart Myers, is to link “a variety of independent and Democratic media properties into a collective.” Campaigns and other advertisers can then more easily connect with and advertise with those properties, which reach core demographic groups. 

“We’re seeing a lot of Democrats leaving Facebook or leaving these other platforms,” Myers told Campaigns & Elections. “People are now on Substack or they’re listening to podcasts, so there’s more ways that a marketer or a buyer needs to consider to reach their audiences.”

ConnectBlue isn’t an ad agency in and of itself. “We’re not trying to build a consumer brand, and we’re not trying to compete with our publishers,” Myers said. 

Rather, the idea is to make it easier for Democratic and Democratic-aligned campaigns to buy ad space or sponsorships with “trusted brands” and platforms – think the progressive news and commentary site Daily Kos or “Pod Save America” – that reach more reliably liberal and left-leaning audiences or high-value demos that have become harder to target through programmatic buying.

The platform, which went live in October, is pitching advertisers on its network, which it says currently reaches more than 100 million Democrats and independents across about 50 publishers and has a monthly email reach of more than 14 million Americans.

ConnectBlue is also courting non-political advertisers, Myers said, arguing that there’s a broader need in the advertising ecosystem for brands to reach Americans outside of typical social media channels.

“Regardless of the political nature of what we’re doing, there’s just a strong interest in reaching these audiences and doing it in a way that’s really impactful,” Myers said. “Advertisers value it. The problem is how do you do it at scale? It’s really hard to reach out to every Substack, right?”

ConnectBlue’s effort comes amid the backdrop of larger changes in how Americans consume news and political information. 

A Gallup survey released in October found Americans’ trust in traditional media, like newspapers, television and radio, hitting a new low of just 28 percent. More and more voters are turning to influencers, content creators, podcasts and independent writers and journalists for information.

At the same time, many Democrats and progressives have expressed a growing frustration with dominant social media platforms like Facebook. Myers said that there’s been a renewed interest in values-aligned brands and platforms.

“I think what we’re seeing is that trusted brands are kind of rising again,” Myers said. “And there’s a huge desire to be able to reach key audiences through those trusted brands.”