Microtargeting

Microtargeting is the practice of using granular data, voter file records, consumer data, online behavior, and modeled attitudes, to define narrow audience segments and deliver messages tailored specifically to them, rather than broadcasting one message to a broad demographic group. It draws on the same voter file and modeling infrastructure used for turnout modeling and persuasion modeling, applying those scores to build small, precisely defined segments for advertising or outreach.

The technique is closely related to customer segmentation and lookalike-audience targeting in commercial marketing, but applied to political or advocacy audiences using voter and consumer data instead of purchase history. What distinguishes microtargeting from ordinary demographic targeting is granularity: segments can be defined by combinations of dozens of variables, down to small, specific groups rather than broad categories like age or region.

Microtargeting is a subject of ongoing, non-partisan debate: supporters point to more relevant, less wasteful communication, while critics raise concerns about opacity, manipulation, and narrowcasting messages that are never seen or fact-checked by a broader audience. Major ad platforms and regulators, including under GDPR's treatment of political opinions as sensitive data in some jurisdictions, have placed increasing restrictions on the underlying data and targeting categories, and rules differ significantly by country and platform, so what is permitted varies with where and how the targeting is done.