Digital Ads Are Cheap — Until You Waste Them

Running digital ads has never been easier - or more misused.

We see it all the time:
🚫 Vague targeting

 🚫 Generic creative

 🚫 Metrics that measure noise, not persuasion

In our latest memo, AxAdvocacy Vice President Jonathan Dickerson breaks down how undisciplined digital strategy leads to wasted spend and what smart campaigns do differently.

Digital advertising has never been more accessible or more misused. For a few hundred dollars, anyone can launch a campaign that racks up impressions, a handful of clicks, maybe even some new page likes. But none of that guarantees you moved the needle.

Cheap ads don’t mean cheap influence. In fact, undisciplined digital campaigns are often the most expensive—because they waste time, money, and opportunity.

We see it constantly: vague targeting (“voters in state”), generic creative, and metrics that prioritize reach or impressions over outcomes. In advocacy, that’s not just ineffective—it’s reckless. When you confuse activity for impact, you’re paying for noise, not persuasion.

Digital advertising gives us powerful tools: segmentation by ideology, geography, behavior—even by historical geographical data. Used correctly, they can drive real outcomes. Used lazily, they produce nothing but inflated reports and exhausted budgets.

Smart campaigns start with clarity: What’s the goal? Who matters? What message will move them? Then, they test. They iterate. They scale what works. We’ve seen $5,000 campaigns outperform $50,000 ones because they were built with purpose and pressure-tested along the way.

And once you’ve reached someone, don’t stop. Repetition isn’t annoying—it’s essential. Most people don’t act the first time they see a message. They act when it shows up again, and again, and again—refined and relevant every time.

That’s where remarketing becomes invaluable. If someone watched your video, clicked your ad, or visited your landing page, they’re in the conversation. Don’t let them drift. Stay with them. Advance the message.

According to a recent study reported by Ad Age, advertisers waste 23% of their programmatic spend—nearly one in four dollars—on low-quality placements, fraud, and made-for-advertising sites. That’s not a media problem. That’s a strategy problem.

At AxAdvocacy, we treat digital like we treat field: targeted, disciplined, and relentlessly focused on outcomes. If your ads aren’t converting, it’s time to rethink the strategy—not just the spend..