Last Update: June 2, 2022
Facebook advertising spending has been on the rise for the last couple of years in Canadian politics. At the time of the 2021 Federal Elections, a great deal of advertising budget was allocated to Facebook’s platforms. Accordingly, this trend appears to continue during this year’s provincial elections in Ontario. For political parties and candidates, Facebook advertising (which includes its platform Instagram as well) offers an excellent opportunity to engage new audiences and gain their trust, particularly when leveraging a digital and social media marketing agency for political campaigns to optimize their strategies. This is critical given that some of the other popular social media platforms (like Twitter, Tik Tok) have banned any political advertising leading campaign managers and strategists to place all their bets on Facebook.
It’s always interesting to watch what the parties and key candidates are spending on social media advertising during campaign periods. To make it easier for you, we’ll be providing two Facebook advertising spending trackers here. Our first Facebook advertising spending tracker showcases the total amount of money spent by the official accounts of the five key provincial parties. Our second tracker highlights the spending using the official accounts of the leaders of these provincial parties. This information is directly sourced via Facebook’s ad library and will automatically refresh every week!
So, go ahead and have a look!
Facebook Advertising Spending by the Provincial Parties’ Official Accounts
Period: May 1, 2022 – May 30, 2022
Our take – During the provincial election campaign in Ontario in 2022, the main provincial parties had been aggressively targeting potential voters via social media advertising. Throughout the first official week of the 2022 Ontario Provincial Election Campaign, the Ontario Liberal Party spent close to $200,000 on Facebook via its official account while the incumbent PC Party spent a grand total of $0! As the campaign progressed, It was interesting to note, that the Ontario PC Party rapidly caught up to the Ontario Liberals as they hold steady in the polls. In the period between May 15th, 2022 and May 23rd, 2022, the Liberal Party of Ontario spent $ 244.6K on Facebook advertising, while the Ontario PC Party was very close at $ 219.9K.
As the campaign progressed towards its end and as is evident in Facebook’s Ad library report, this trend did not continue. For the past 30 days, the Liberals have spent approximately $1.12 million, while the Ontario PC Party has spent $512,000. Combined, all parties’ official accounts have spent a staggering amount of just under $1.8 million, with the Liberal Party of Ontario receiving the largest share. In light of these findings, Facebook advertising, especially when guided by a digital and social media marketing agency for political campaigns, is by no means being abandoned as a vehicle for political advertising.
Facebook Advertising Spending using Provincial Party Leaders’ Accounts
Period: May 1, 2022 – May 30 2022
Our take – The Ontario Liberals were also spending aggressively via their leader’s official account on Facebook to ensure that the lesser-known Steven Del Duca can create some brand recall in the minds of the Ontario voters. Did this help? We’re soon to find out!
What do you think about the advertising dollars the provincial political parties and leaders are spending on Facebook? Please leave your comments below! Don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends! For the latest updates and insights on political digital marketing in Canada, stay connected with EOK Consults Inc via social media.
