Microtargeting has growing influence in political campaigns, says Interactive Advertising Bureau

Data played a big role in last year’s presidential campaign, whether it was used to evaluate how likely a person was to vote for a particular candidate based on his or her Facebook profile, or to project which states would go for which candidate. But there was almost no component of a campaign that was as affected by changing tech as political advertising.

Microtargeting — or narrowly focused online advertising — is a growing component of political campaigns, according to a white paper published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The IAB estimates that microtargeted ads accounted for between $130 million and $200 million in ad spending during the 2012 presidential election. The findings also back up what’s become a familiar post-election narrative: that President Obama’s campaign was better at using and deploying high-tech tactics than the campaign of GOP challenger Mitt Romney.