The Profound Agency
Government & Public Sector

Turnout, response rates and public awareness

Public sector campaigns are measured against participation rather than revenue, which makes them among the most honest work in media: a census response rate or a turnout figure is not something a dashboard can flatter.

Can digital advertising move a public participation rate?

It can, measurably. A city government census awareness campaign in Illinois ran at almost 12× the industry click-through average, and on Census Day its county was the first in the state to pass its response threshold and ranked sixth in the nation.

What we run for government & public sector clients

Campaigns in this sector

Clients are described by sector rather than named. Every figure is from the campaign it sits under.

Local government

A county led Illinois on census response

A city government needed census response rates across a diverse county.

What we ran

  • Display and location-based mobile across the county
  • Creative adapted per community
Click-through rate
0.83% — almost 12× the industry average
Census Day standing
First county in Illinois to pass its response threshold
National rank
6th

Public transportation

A transport authority hit its goal 10× faster and saved 85% of budget

A public transport body had an awareness goal and a fixed budget to reach it.

What we ran

  • Location-based mobile with cross-platform targeting
Speed to goal
Over 10× faster than planned
Budget saved
Over 85%, redeployed elsewhere

Questions we get asked

Can digital advertising move a public participation rate?
It can, measurably. A city government census awareness campaign in Illinois ran at almost 12× the industry click-through average, and on Census Day its county was the first in the state to pass its response threshold and ranked sixth in the nation.
How many clicks should I expect?
The national average click-through rate for digital display advertising is about 0.07%, so 100,000 impressions should produce at least 70 clicks through to your website. On 300,000 impressions that is roughly 210 visits. Campaigns we run frequently beat that average by several multiples, but the benchmark is what any plan should be built on rather than the best case.
How many of those clicks turn into leads or sales?
That depends on your own website conversion rate, not on the ads. Take the share of visitors who currently do what you want them to do and apply it to the expected clicks: at 300,000 impressions and a 5% site conversion rate, roughly 210 clicks would produce about 10 conversions. If you do not know your current conversion rate, that is the first thing worth measuring, because it sets the ceiling on everything paid media can deliver.
Can you track whether someone who saw an ad came to my location?
Yes, on the channels that serve to mobile devices. If someone sees the ad and then visits your location with their phone within fourteen days, that visit can be attributed and reported. It is shown on your monthly report as verified and estimated visits.
What counts as a conversion, and do you measure view-throughs?
A click conversion is someone who clicked the ad and then completed the action you are tracking. A view-through is someone who saw the ad, did not click, and arrived at your site and converted later. Both are reported separately, because counting only clicks understates what awareness channels like video, audio and Connected TV actually do.

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