Engaging Political Influence Beyond the Voter

Writer: Kerri O’ Connor
Date: May 7, 2026

In political and advocacy campaigns, outcomes are shaped well before a voter sees a ballot or hears about a proposed policy.

While reaching voters remains critical, many of the most important decisions are shaped early, long ahead of any public-facing messaging. Advisors, policymakers, donors, and advocacy leaders all play a role in influencing outcomes behind the scenes, often within smaller, tightly connected networks.

For media buyers, the question becomes: how do you reach beyond the voter to the networks that shape the ballot or the legislative agenda?

EVOLVING PAST MODELED AUDIENCES FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAMPAIGNS

Many targeting strategies rely on modeled data to identify likely supporters or persuadable voters.

These approaches are highly effective for reaching key voter audiences and remain a critical foundation for any political or advocacy advertising campaign. But, on their own, they don’t always sway elected officials’ behavior.

Decisions are rarely made in isolation. And while legislators also respond to pressure from constituents, their decisions are primarily shaped through relationships—by the people advising candidates, developing policy, funding initiatives, and influencing how issues are framed.

To build on these strategies, advertisers are increasingly incorporating approaches that focus on how individuals are connected, not just how they behave.

This shift reflects a broader evolution in the industry, moving beyond assumptions toward more deterministic, real-world signals of influence. Simpli.fi’s political data partner, Atlas Influence Targeting, helps make this possible by bringing greater visibility into the networks surrounding decision-makers and policymakers.

ACTIVATING POLITICAL INFLUENCE FOR ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

The most effective campaigns use a layer of precision targeting to ensure that elite political networks witness and engage with the conversation.

To accomplish this, Atlas Basic audiences target legislators and their closest:

• Staff and consultants
• Donors, supporters, and constituents
• Professional and personal connections

These aren’t traditional audience segments; they’re part of an interconnected system where information, opinions, and decisions move quickly. Atlas Basic audiences help public affairs advertisers deliver their message directly to legislators and their networks while the window to influence them is still open.

This shifts the role of campaigns from simply delivering a message to strategically placing ads within the environments where influence already exists.

That might mean:

• Reaching policy advisors before a legislator’s position on a vote is finalized
• Engaging donor networks as initiatives gain traction
• Ensuring messaging is visible within the circles shaping public narratives

The goal isn’t just visibility—it’s proximity to the final decision-makers.

UNDERSTANDING THE FULL ECOSYSTEM OF INFLUENCE

Certain political issues, including candidate and ballot initiative campaigns, require reaching beyond a single decision-maker or committee. Rather, they require reaching a broader ecosystem of stakeholders.

Atlas Power Players: Audiences of ~200,000 individual opinion leaders, available for all 50 states

In addition to high-propensity voters, Atlas Power Players audiences reach:

• Elected officials and party leadership
• Legislative staff and regulatory teams
• Advocacy organizations and PAC leaders
• Donors, lobbyists, and consultants
• Media voices, academics, and industry influencers

Each group plays a different role in how decisions are shaped, communicated, and ultimately acted on.

Understanding this ecosystem creates a clearer picture of where campaigns can have the greatest impact, not just in reaching voters, but in shaping the conversations that ultimately affect them.

What was once difficult to map is becoming more visible, with Atlas Influence Targeting helping bring greater clarity to these interconnected political networks, paired with Simpli.fi’s ability to turn that visibility into action.

FROM AUDIENCE TARGETING TO STRATEGIC POSITIONING

This shift isn’t just about new data. It’s about a new way of thinking about political and advocacy advertising.

Traditional targeting answers the question: Who should we reach?

Influence-based strategies expand that to: Where are decisions actually being made?

In political and advocacy campaigns, timing, context, and proximity to decision-making environments can be just as important as reaching the voters themselves.

By layering connection-based insights alongside existing audience strategies, advertisers can:

• Show up earlier in the decision-making process
• Align messaging with key moments of influence
• Prioritize environments where conversations are already happening

The result? A campaign that isn’t just reaching voters, but strategically positioned within the conversations between industry leaders.

A MORE STRATEGIC APPROACH TO POLITICAL AND ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

Understanding the importance of influence targeting is one thing, activating against it is another.

As political and advocacy campaigns become more complex, the ability to not only identify networks of influence, but to engage them in a coordinated and measurable way, is becoming increasingly important.

Simpli.fi and Atlas Influence Targeting bring these two pieces together, combining deeper visibility into the relationships shaping decisions with the ability to activate those insights across channels.

“Simpli.fi’s commitment to precision and data quality makes them a natural home for Atlas Influence Targeting’s audiences. Layering their broad programmatic reach with our verified audiences of legislators, staffers, donors, and advisors gives advocates a single platform to run campaigns with the speed and accuracy that today’s policy fights demand.”

Libby Hall, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at Atlas Influence Targeting

This creates a more complete approach to political and advocacy advertising—one that connects insight with execution.

Because in today’s political landscape, success isn’t just about reaching voters.
It’s about showing up within the political networks that shape what happens next.

To learn more about how Simpli.fi and Atlas Influence Targeting can support your next political or advocacy campaign, contact us at hi@simpli.fi.

Kerri O’Connor Senior Manager, Content Marketing | Simpli.fi Kerri O’Connor is a strategic product marketer with deep expertise in digital advertising, audience engagement, and campaign performance. As a Senior Manager of Content Marketing at Simpli.fi, she leads go-to-market strategy, messaging development, and product adoption for innovative ad tech solutions. Kerri brings a strong background in programmatic media, digital strategy, and client enablement, translating complex industry trends into clear, actionable marketing. She excels at blending data with storytelling to drive results and help brands connect with the right audiences. A passionate storyteller and data-driven marketer, Kerri is committed to helping brands navigate the evolving digital landscape and maximize their marketing impact.