Partnering with ASK Berlin, we helped the SPD close a significant polling gap against the far-right AfD in Brandenburg using Advocate’s precision targeting and data-driven insights. We reached and mobilized critical voter groups, countered misinformation, and adapted to shifting trends in real time to counter AfD’s momentum and help the SPD win.
In the fast-paced world of political campaigning, nothing is more important than making the right decisions at the right time. The rise of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), fresh off a historic win in Thuringia, threatened to upend the political landscape of Brandenburg. With the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) down by 10 points in the run up to the election, we tackled what appeared to be an insurmountable challenge using the powerful capabilities of Advocate, our digital targeting self-serve tool.
The Challenge – Countering the AfD's Momentum
Our partner ASK Berlin reached out to collaborate on a strategy to help the SPD close the gap in the race’s final days.The stakes were high: the AfD was rapidly breaking ahead, and we needed to act decisively to prevent them from winning. The strategy hinged on mobilizing key voter groups and using precise targeting to counter AfD’s momentum. The rise of the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW) introduced new voter dynamics that also had to be analyzed and quickly addressed.
Strategy
We worked with the ASK Berlin team to develop a strategy consisting of three elements, each tailored to key voter segments and designed to maximize efficiency and results.
1. GOTV (Get Out The Vote)
Get Out the Vote refers to the strategies and efforts used to mobilize voters in political campaigns, particularly in the immediate lead up to Election Day. The goal is to maximize turnout among likely supporters of a candidate or party through targeted outreach.
- Used Advocate’s precise targeting capabilities to identify SPD supporters in key demographics and regions whose historic voter turnout varied, particularly those aged 55+ and stay-at-home progressives
- Mobilized these groups via Programmatic Video, Programmatic Display, and YouTube Ads to maximize our reach. Used geography, demographics (age), and third party data (identifying progressives in Germany)
- Retargeted those who engaged with the initial ads close to election day
- Result: Over 1 million impressions with strong engagement metrics and video completion rates above 70%
2. Squeezing the Democratic Arc: BSW and Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) voters
Squeezing is a common tactic that involves demonstrating to supporters of weaker parties that only your party or candidate has the strength to beat your mutual opponent. In this case, our messaging focused on persuading BSW and CDU voters that only the SPD could beat the AfD.
- Placed ads on CDU-friendly conservative websites and used contextual targeting to reach BSW voters on pages where the party and leaders are discussed
- Leveraged Programmatic’s Advanced Targeting Options in a campaign where we used both display and video creatives. Used geography to focus on the districts where the two parties had the highest vote shares in the past elections
- BSW Squeeze: Contextual (BSW related keywords inclusion + AfD exclusion) + Education Level (no higher education) + Age (35+) + Geography (the entire state)
- Result:
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- BSW Squeeze: Over 100,000 impressions, with a video completion rate of 69% and a click through rate of .45
- CDU Squeeze: Over 1 million impressions, completion rates above 90% on YouTube and over 70% on Programmatic (20 second creatives)
3. AfD Contrast Messaging
Contrast messaging is a means of demobilizing supporters of the opposition party. Instead of running strictly negative messages about the opponent, it contrasts their and your candidate’s position on an issue. For this campaign, we used contrast messaging to break down myths and inform AfD supporters.
- Ran contrast messaging to educate voters and counter misinformation. Used Advocate to segment audiences and run resonant messaging for different groups
- Only used display creatives, rather than video. GIFs showed contrasting propositions from the two sides, images portrayed a strong leader on the SPD side. Targeted specifically young people: Geography (Municipalities where the AfD performed the best across 2019/2021/2024) + Demographics (18-25)
- Result: Over 1.4M impressions and several thousand clicks
The Advocate Advantage
We ran every component of our multi-pronged campaign through Advocate, and its cost-efficiency became a game-changer. Advocate empowers campaigns to reach and engage larger audiences with greater frequency, outperforming traditional social media and YouTube channels in impact and precision. Its comprehensive targeting capabilities enable users to focus on the most critical voter segments, ensuring maximum effectiveness.
Over the final 10 days, we generated more than 5 million impressions at a remarkably low cost per click and video view. The platform’s ability to pull data from multiple sources in a GDPR-friendly way — geographical, behavioral, and demographic — allowed us to easily adjust and fine-tune our campaigns, reacting to real-time trends.
We didn’t just run ads — we ran a strategic and adaptive campaign. This data-driven approach combined with precise targeting contributed to SPD’s win in one of the most contested elections in Germany’s recent history.
The Results
The SPD achieved what many thought was impossible: they defeated the AfD by 25,000 votes. This result marked not only a significant win for the SPD, but also demonstrated the power of combining smart strategy with cutting-edge technology. Advocate ensured every Euro spent made an impact, providing the insights and flexibility needed to push the SPD over the line. Working closely with ASK Berlin not only strengthened our approach but also set a valuable precedent for future collaborations, as we prepare to jointly offer our services for the German federal elections next year.
Even in the most challenging circumstances, bold strategies and effective tools can be the difference between a defeat and a victory. Innovation will be an increasingly critical part of standing up to the far-right across Europe, and we are proud to be part of that fight, helping campaigns make smarter choices every step of the way.
