Daniel Biss for Congress
Challenge
Elect Daniel Biss to Congress in a 15-candidate Democratic primary, outmaneuvering $7M in AIPAC-funded opposition and a viral insurgent candidate with national progressive backing.
Impact
29.6% of the vote — winning in a 15-candidate field by 3.7 points.
$62 cost-per-vote vs. an opponent’s $272 —the most efficient campaign in the race.
24.7M impressions delivered at 99% video completion rate across 9 weeks
Our Work
Media Planning & Buying
Novel managed $1.58M in paid media across broadcast TV, premium streaming, YouTube, CTV, and Meta — delivering 24.7M impressions at 99% VCR and coming in within $692 of budget across 9 weeks of full execution. We opened the program on cable and digital to build cost-efficient frequency early, then shifted weight to broadcast in the final four weeks to capture the highest-turnout A55+ demographic. Premium streaming on Hulu and Paramount+ delivered a consistent 7-10x frequency at 99% VCR — the most efficient reach-per-dollar for high-attention viewers. When allies activated on A35+ YouTube in the final stretch, we redirected that budget to fund escalating broadcast costs, keeping the plan nimble without sacrificing coverage.
Creative Production
We built a four-pillar creative program — Daniel direct-to-camera, trusted community validators, endorsements from Schakowsky and Warren, and sharp AIPAC contrast creative — each reinforcing the others to build a cumulative case for Biss. Daniel's opening spot "ICE" drew a clear contrast on values and immigration, while "Trust" served as the closing argument across premium streaming. Community validators ran throughout the flight, reaching hundreds of thousands of unique viewers and reinforcing Biss's credibility at every stage of the campaign. Senator Warren's YouTube spot alone generated 1.4M impressions at 88.9% VCR, reaching 554K unique viewers across Meta, Premium Streaming, CTV, and YouTube.
Message Strategy
We sequenced creative to define Biss early and build trust through validators, so that when $1.31M in opposition attacks hit in the final weeks, voters already knew and trusted him. Our contrast creative drew a direct line between our opponent's outside AIPAC funding and her positions — "Not Standing With Us" became the single highest-spend creative on Premium Streaming, running at 99% VCR with 7x frequency. By the time the anti-Biss burst concentrated in a narrow one-week window, Biss's positive narrative was already firmly established with likely primary voters.
Have a project?
We’ve got a novel idea for you.