Executive Summary

With eight months to go until the 2020 US presidential election, political activity on social media is heating up. This report serves as a playbook for commercial brands on how to cut through the political noise and reach their audiences on social.

How do US consumers feel about political content on social media?

Consumers say they dislike it, particularly the ads, but they’re mainly talking about political content they disagree with. We don’t expect most US social media users to significantly change their behavior ahead of the 2020 US presidential election.

How will the new political ad rules impact the social media user experience?

Political ad bans or restrictions will do little to rein in organic political content and misinformation on social platforms. Political advertising made up a sliver of Twitter’s total ad revenues, and while it’s bigger business for Facebook, it’s still a small portion of all political content on the platform.

How can commercial brands best reach social media users during the 2019/2020 election cycle?

Increased political activity on social media could make it more difficult for brands to effectively reach their customers. Understanding consumer attitudes toward political content on social media and how political campaigns use these platforms can help commercial advertisers cut through the noise with paid and organic (unpaid) content.

Should brands get involved in the political conversation on social media?

The influx of political content on social media platforms has heightened brand safety and suitability concerns. Companies should stick to their existing strategies and insert themselves in the conversation only if it’s related to an issue that’s authentic to their brand and longer-term goals.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report explores consumer attitudes and behaviors around political content on social media, and how commercial advertisers can navigate the space during the 2019/2020 election cycle.

KEY STAT: Facebook will bring in $550.0 million on political ads in 2020, but that’s just 1.5% of its total US ad revenues.