We talk a lot about streaming. Its growth has been one of the biggest topics in political advertising for multiple cycles now.
But think of how you consume media. Scrolling social media, watching YouTube, listening to music or podcasts, and playing games. If you’re like most voters, you do those digital activities on your phone.
With so much focus on streaming, mobile offers political advertisers an opportunity to reach voters on a less crowded platform. But there are also quality concerns buyers need to pay close attention to.
How much time do Americans spend on their phones?
4 hours and 23 minutes per day.
American adults spend more than 9 hours a day with digital media. Mobile accounts for 48% of that time.
What do we do on our phones?
Digital Video and Social Media account for roughly 70% of the time spent on mobile devices.
You’ll notice that the time shown across each category adds up to 5 hours and 17 minutes, which is 21% more than the total time spent on mobile.
Ever scroll Instagram while listening to a podcast? This data accounts for multitasking across devices and apps.
How much will political advertisers spend on non-Streaming Digital?
We project that 37% of Digital ad spend will go to non-CTV channels.
As Streaming usage has grown year over year, it has also gained a larger share of political budgets.
This makes sense. Streaming:
Costs more
Supplements change in Linear TV viewership
Lives on the big screen, with higher viewability and audio rates
But voters still spend more time on their phones. That creates an opportunity for political buyers to reach voters on a device with more available inventory and less competition.
What are the challenges for political advertisers?
Not all screens are created equal, and neither are all ad formats.
A full-screen mobile ad with an engaged viewer can be just as valuable as a CTV impression. An ad that sits off-screen, muted, or ignored is wasted spend.
Political buyers must focus on quality.
Review site lists to ensure ads appear alongside quality content
Work with viewability and fraud partners to confirm ads are on-screen and measurable
Don’t chase the lowest CPM. Lower prices often mean lower-quality inventory
Build creative specifically for mobile consumption. Mobile is not TV.
What does this mean for political advertisers?
Mobile is not secondary reach. Voters spend nearly half of their time with digital media on phones. Mobile should be treated as a core channel, not a leftover budget after streaming and Linear.
Attention matters more than screen size. A high-quality mobile placement with strong viewability and engagement can outperform a low-quality CTV impression.
Cheap inventory comes with risk. Mobile offers scale and efficiency, but buyers need to prioritize fraud prevention, site quality, and creatives built specifically for mobile environments.