Sinn Féin spent more on Meta ads than all other major parties combined

WHOEVER takes seats in the local and European elections after the counts are completed in the coming days, social media platforms will be looking back at the months leading up to polling day as the time they really made a killing selling online advertising to candidates.

According to the latest analysis provided by Cork-based communications specialist Damien Mulley of Mulley Communications, Sinn Féin has outspent all the other major parties combined by a ratio of almost four to one when buying advertising on Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, as well as Google and YouTube.

According to figures which are drawn from Meta and Google transparency tools and cover the period of March 5 to June 2, Sinn Féin had spent a total of €134,000 on political ads across all platforms in that period. The same set of figures indicate that Fianna Fáil had spent €16,600 and Fine Gael had expended €15,500. Spending by the Labour Party amounted to €8,316, while the Green Party spent €10,531 and the Social Democrats had a spend of €7,001.

Individual candidates, particularly in the huge European election constituencies, have also spent significant amounts on online advertising.

Fianna Fáil candidate in Ireland South, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, is the highest-spending individual candidate in this year’s European Parliament election, having spent €17,887, just ahead of Fine Gael’s candidate in Midlands North and West, Nina Carbery, who has spent €17,057. Fine Gael’s candidate in Ireland South, John Mullins, spent a total of €6,825 in that period while his running mate Seán Kelly has spent €5,390. Billy Kelleher of Fianna Fáil spent €4,242.

According to the figures provided in the analysis by Mulley Communications, the Irish Freedom Party has spent €6,300 on ‘Ireland Is Full’ ads for its candidates on YouTube.

Meanwhile, in ads targeted at specific locations on Meta platforms, a total of €75,159 was apportioned to Cork audiences while €291,563 was spent in advertising directed at Dublin users of the online platforms. This covers the period of March 7 to June 4.