Campaign Case Study · Matchstick Media

Hartford County Executive
Bob Cassilly

Maryland · Primary Election Campaign · April 29 – June 23, 2026
Digital DSP: StackAdapt · Linear Partner: Monkey Crayon Media

3.9MTotal Impressions
85%Digital VCR
711Linear Spots Aired
$144KTotal Media Budget
The Campaign

A Full-Funnel Air War for Hartford County

Matchstick Media developed and executed a comprehensive paid media campaign for Bob Cassilly's Harford County Executive race, combining targeted digital video with traditional linear TV and radio to maximize reach across the Baltimore DMA.

The campaign deployed a two-pronged creative strategy: a contrast narrative positioning the opponent as tied to developer interests, and an affirmative "Conservative Bob Cassilly: Preserves Our Land" identity message. Three creative executions, a :30 contrast spot, a :15 contrast spot, and a :06 Cassilly ID, were placed across CTV, OLV, cable, and radio simultaneously.

From launch on April 29 through the reporting date of June 8, the campaign had already delivered 3.9 million combined impressions across all channels, with the full flight extending through June 23.

Performance

Channel-by-Channel Results

Digital — $89,703
Total Impressions1,595,889
Video Views1,530,523
Video Completions1,303,220
Overall VCR85%
CTV VCR96%
OLV VCR61%
CTV Frequency45x
OLV Frequency23x
Linear — $25,851
Total Impressions2,317,472
Spots Aired711
Cable GRPs953
Cable Frequency99x
Radio GRPs66
Cable NetworkFNC/Newsmax
Radio StationWXCY
Radio Spots271
Tactic Impressions Video Views Completions VCR Spend
CTV (StackAdapt) 1,055,366 1,046,752 1,008,646 96% $64,417
OLV (StackAdapt) 540,523 483,771 294,574 61% $25,287
Cable TV (FNC/Newsmax) ~2,100,000 est. 588 spots $18,263
Radio (WXCY) ~217,472 est. 271 spots $7,588
Grand Total ~3,913,361 1,530,523 1,303,220 digital 85% digital $115,555

Linear impressions are estimated per broadcast definitions. Final reporting available after campaign flight concludes. Digital figures as of June 2026.

Media Mix

Placement Strategy & Channel Breakdown

Connected TV 1.05M

Impressions — $64,417

Streaming via Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and publisher sites. $37.50 CPM via StackAdapt. Highest-performing tactic: 96% VCR and average frequency of 45x.

Online Video 541K

Impressions — $25,287

YouTube and publisher sites including ESPN and FoxNews.com. $23 CPM via StackAdapt. 61% VCR with frequency of 23x; ongoing optimization.

Cable TV 588

Spots Aired — $18,263

Fox News Channel and Newsmax. 953 cable GRPs achieved with frequency of 99x. Targeting news audiences in the Baltimore DMA.

Radio 271

Spots Aired — $7,588

WXCY radio station. 66 radio GRPs delivered at $28 per spot. Campaign launched May 6 with consistent weekly cadence through June.

Spend Allocation

CTV (StackAdapt) $64,417 · 55.6%
OLV (StackAdapt) $25,287 · 21.9%
Cable TV (FNC/Newsmax) $18,263 · 15.8%
Radio (WXCY) $7,588 · 6.6%
Creative

Three Executions, One Unified Message

Vote No on Liberal Pat Vincenti

“Liberal Pat Vincenti” :30

Primary contrast spot. Frames the opponent as liberal and developer-funded. Primary vehicle for CTV and cable. Ran across all channels from the April 29 launch.

Liberal Pat Vincenti: $573,800 From Developers

“Liberal Pat Vincenti” :15

Condensed contrast version highlighting developer contributions. Used for OLV placements and frequency reinforcement on CTV.

Conservative Bob Cassilly Preserves Our Land

“Cassilly” :06

Affirmative ID bump. Conservative identity and land-preservation message. Used as a companion unit to reinforce positive brand recall alongside the contrast spots.

Key Takeaways

What This Campaign Delivered

Delivered 3.9M+ combined impressions

Across digital and linear channels as of June 8, with the full campaign flight still running through June 23.

CTV achieved a 96% video completion rate

Well above industry benchmarks, with a frequency of 45x ensuring deep message penetration among streaming audiences.

Overall digital VCR of 85% across CTV and OLV

Combined, driven by strong connected TV performance on Disney+, Hulu, and Peacock.

953 Cable GRPs and 66 Radio GRPs

Accumulated through targeted placements on Fox News, Newsmax, and WXCY, reaching news audiences with 99x cable frequency.

711 linear spots aired across cable and radio

Maintaining consistent presence in the Baltimore DMA leading into the primary.

Full-funnel strategy

CTV and OLV drove deep video engagement while cable and radio extended reach to light TV viewers and commuter audiences not captured digitally.

See What This Could Look Like for Your Race

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