Public Sector Marketing, Online Advertising And Paid Campaigns

I can help you with all of your public sector marketing, delivering the lowest cost-per-outcome, measurable paid campaigns and media buying.

Along with my trusted delivery partner, CAN Digital, we help deliver behaviour change that works to solve the challenges you face, from recycling to public health, climate change, housing engagement, and more.

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Paid Media Buying (Programmatic Advertising)

We place ads across the websites, apps, video, search, and social channels your audience uses; always focused on the lowest cost per outcome. Where offline advertising genuinely adds value, we secure that too (and usually for less than you’d expect).

Targeted Reach

We help you reach exactly who you need to reach to drive behaviour change based on things like

  • Demographics
  • Geographical areas
  • Interest and behaviour groups
  • Job types and income brackets

So, you’re not paying to reach people who can’t — or won’t — act.

Search Advertising

Your ads appear when people actively search for relevant terms on Google and other search engines, at the point when people are making a decision.

Live Optimisation

We continuously refine creatives, channels, and targeting while campaigns are running, so your budget follows what’s working — not what was predicted in a slide deck.

Clear, Usable Reporting

A live online dashboard, updated weekly, shows how your campaign is performing against agreed service outcomes — not just media metrics.

Dedicated Campaign Management

Every campaign is led by an experienced account handler who understands public sector constraints, pressures, and processes. They’re there to advise, troubleshoot, and keep things moving.

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How Does Programmatic Advertising Work?

Programmatic advertising uses technology to automatically buy and place ads. Every time someone opens a website or app, the system decides in milliseconds whether to show an ad, based on pre-set rules. This removes manual booking and allows campaigns to respond instantly to real-world conditions like time of day, device, or location.

  • Data-Led Targeting, Not Channel-Led Buying

Instead of choosing where ads appear, programmatic focuses on who sees them. Audience signals such as geography, housing type, past behaviour, or life events are used to decide when an ad is relevant. This makes campaigns more efficient and reduces wasted spend on people the message isn’t intended for.

  • Continuous Optimisation And Control

Programmatic campaigns are always learning. Performance data is used to adjust bids, messages, formats, and frequency in real time, shifting budget toward what works best. This allows marketers to cap exposure, test messages, and improve outcomes over time rather than waiting until the end of a campaign to learn what worked.

  • Remarketing (Retargeting)

As part of a programmatic campaign, remarketing (sometimes called retargeting) is an effective strategy. This is when you show ads to people who’ve already interacted with you — maybe they have visited a page on your website, or visited your app.

When someone takes one of these actions, a tracking tag will recognise that someone has visited your website or filled in a form, or even partially filled in a form, for example.

When they later browse other websites or apps, ad space is auctioned in real time. So, if someone visits your “Repairs” page and then visits an external website, like Sky News, a relevant advert could be served up to them on that website.

To discover more, please Book a free planning call or call us on 01928 242182 or complete a free online enquiry.

Dominic Ridley_Moy signature

Dominic Ridley-Moy FCIPR, Chart.PR, Dip CIPR
Behaviour Change Network founder

Advertising And Paid Campaigns
Advertising And Paid Campaigns

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic advertising is the automated buying and placement of digital advertising using technology. Instead of manually booking ad space, software decides in milliseconds which advert to show, to whom, and where. This allows campaigns to target specific audiences and optimise spend in real time.

How is programmatic advertising different from traditional media buying?

Traditional media buying selects specific websites, publications, or platforms in advance. Programmatic advertising focuses on the audience rather than the channel. Ads are shown to people based on data signals such as location, behaviour, or demographics, rather than simply appearing on a chosen website.

How does programmatic advertising help the public sector?

Programmatic advertising helps public sector organisations reach specific groups efficiently, reduce wasted spend, and measure outcomes clearly. It is particularly effective for behaviour change campaigns such as recycling participation, public health interventions, housing engagement, climate action, and service uptake.

What outcomes can paid campaigns deliver?

Paid campaigns can drive measurable outcomes such as:

  • Increased service sign-ups

  • Improved participation rates

  • Higher event attendance

  • Increased applications or registrations

  • Greater awareness within priority groups

Campaigns are optimised toward cost-per-outcome, not just impressions or clicks.

What is remarketing (retargeting)?

Remarketing is when adverts are shown to people who have already interacted with your website or service. For example, if someone visits a housing repairs page but does not complete a form, they can later see relevant adverts while browsing other websites. This improves conversion rates and reduces drop-off.

Is programmatic advertising compliant with data protection regulations?

Yes. Programmatic advertising operates within UK GDPR and data protection regulations. Targeting uses anonymised audience signals rather than personally identifiable information. Campaigns are structured to comply with public sector governance and privacy standards.

Can you target specific geographical areas?

Yes. Campaigns can be targeted by postcode, ward, borough, region, or radius around a specific location. This is particularly useful for local authority campaigns and place-based interventions.

Can you target specific demographic or interest groups?

Yes. Campaigns can be targeted based on demographic data, life stage, interests, behavioural patterns, housing type, income bracket, and other relevant signals. Targeting is designed to reduce wasted spend and focus on people most likely to act.

How is campaign performance measured?

Performance is measured against agreed service outcomes such as cost per sign-up, cost per completed form, or cost per engagement. A live reporting dashboard provides ongoing visibility, and campaigns are adjusted continuously to improve efficiency.

How quickly can a paid campaign be launched?

Most programmatic campaigns can be planned, built, and launched within 2–4 weeks, depending on creative readiness and internal approvals.

Is programmatic advertising suitable for small budgets?

Yes. Programmatic campaigns can scale to different budget levels. Even smaller budgets can be targeted tightly to priority audiences to maximise impact.

Do you only deliver digital advertising?

No. While programmatic is digital-first, offline channels such as out-of-home advertising can be incorporated where they add measurable value.

What makes your approach different?

Campaigns are designed around behaviour change principles, not just media placement. Targeting, creative messaging, and optimisation are aligned to defined outcomes and continuously refined to reduce cost per result.