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On political ads, transparency and what's right for democracy. Go to https://whotargets.me/download to get involved, check out https://trends.whotargets.me for data on >100k digital political advertisers. Newsletter: fulldisclosure.whotargets.me
After many months work, we launched a major new version of our Trends political ad tracking platform this morning.
Take a look (and let us know your feedback - we'd love to hear from you):
trends.whotargets.me/reports
Take a look (and let us know your feedback - we'd love to hear from you):
trends.whotargets.me/reports
November 10, 2025 at 10:45 AM
After many months work, we launched a major new version of our Trends political ad tracking platform this morning.
Take a look (and let us know your feedback - we'd love to hear from you):
trends.whotargets.me/reports
Take a look (and let us know your feedback - we'd love to hear from you):
trends.whotargets.me/reports
Kemi Badenoch is currently spending around £1,000 a day on ads asking people to like/follow her on Facebook. She currently has 183k followers (predecessors Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson have 1.1M and 2.3M respectively, though Liz Truss only 117k).
November 7, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Kemi Badenoch is currently spending around £1,000 a day on ads asking people to like/follow her on Facebook. She currently has 183k followers (predecessors Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson have 1.1M and 2.3M respectively, though Liz Truss only 117k).
Digital political ad spending in the US has crept up over the last two weeks, ahead of tomorrow's elections. Last year the peak day (Oct 30) saw almost $25m of political ads on Meta and Google. This year the peak spend is $3.8m (so far).
November 3, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Digital political ad spending in the US has crept up over the last two weeks, ahead of tomorrow's elections. Last year the peak day (Oct 30) saw almost $25m of political ads on Meta and Google. This year the peak spend is $3.8m (so far).
One of the interesting things about the growth of the Green Party (particularly their membership) in the UK over the last several months is that it's happened (no pun intended) organically. They've barely spent anything on digital ads, and nothing at all from their main party accounts.
November 2, 2025 at 5:36 PM
One of the interesting things about the growth of the Green Party (particularly their membership) in the UK over the last several months is that it's happened (no pun intended) organically. They've barely spent anything on digital ads, and nothing at all from their main party accounts.
Labour launched a new ad including a clip of Sarah Pochin's racist comments on black and asian people in TV ads, arguing Reform represents "division and grievance". Ad here: www.facebook.com/ads/library/...
November 1, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Labour launched a new ad including a clip of Sarah Pochin's racist comments on black and asian people in TV ads, arguing Reform represents "division and grievance". Ad here: www.facebook.com/ads/library/...
New Tory digital ad campaign, going after Labour on (expected) tax rises.
November 1, 2025 at 10:58 AM
New Tory digital ad campaign, going after Labour on (expected) tax rises.
If you pick a country with enough elections and go back far enough...
October 30, 2025 at 5:40 PM
If you pick a country with enough elections and go back far enough...
Cuomo vs. Mamdani vs. Silwa digital ad spend (Google + Meta) over the last month. We've included the PACs supporting their candidacies (if we didn't, Andrew Cuomo would have spent <$1k - there's almost no positive advertising in his own name).
October 30, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Cuomo vs. Mamdani vs. Silwa digital ad spend (Google + Meta) over the last month. We've included the PACs supporting their candidacies (if we didn't, Andrew Cuomo would have spent <$1k - there's almost no positive advertising in his own name).
This is the data from the last month that social media ads were available to Dutch parties (ending Oct 4th). It can't tell you much about campaign effectiveness, but perhaps it does show that D66 and FvD were confident about improving their positions.
October 29, 2025 at 9:36 PM
This is the data from the last month that social media ads were available to Dutch parties (ending Oct 4th). It can't tell you much about campaign effectiveness, but perhaps it does show that D66 and FvD were confident about improving their positions.
Reform running ads calling on people to sign a petition against local elections in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Surrey, East and West Sussex and Hampshire being postponed next year. So far, £2.5k spent, 500k people reached, 75k signatures. But there are two sides to this story...
October 22, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reform running ads calling on people to sign a petition against local elections in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Surrey, East and West Sussex and Hampshire being postponed next year. So far, £2.5k spent, 500k people reached, 75k signatures. But there are two sides to this story...
This Facebook ad, from Reform's candidate ahead of next week's Caerphilly Senedd by-election, is potentially misleading (regardless of the result, Labour will hold the Westminster seat).
October 17, 2025 at 12:24 PM
This Facebook ad, from Reform's candidate ahead of next week's Caerphilly Senedd by-election, is potentially misleading (regardless of the result, Labour will hold the Westminster seat).
Check out Campaign Tracker NL, looking at the use of AI in the Dutch election campaign (and here are some particularly egregious examples from Geert Wilders' PVV and aligned pages)
www.campaigntracker.nl/explore/
www.campaigntracker.nl/explore/
October 16, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Check out Campaign Tracker NL, looking at the use of AI in the Dutch election campaign (and here are some particularly egregious examples from Geert Wilders' PVV and aligned pages)
www.campaigntracker.nl/explore/
www.campaigntracker.nl/explore/
A few notes on recent UK political ad spending:
- Tory spend is high post-conference (i.e. over the last week), but lower than through the late summer
- Reform spending has dropped off after a busy summer
- Labour has YouTube to itself
- Labour spends nearly 2x more than others
- Tory spend is high post-conference (i.e. over the last week), but lower than through the late summer
- Reform spending has dropped off after a busy summer
- Labour has YouTube to itself
- Labour spends nearly 2x more than others
October 13, 2025 at 8:42 AM
A few notes on recent UK political ad spending:
- Tory spend is high post-conference (i.e. over the last week), but lower than through the late summer
- Reform spending has dropped off after a busy summer
- Labour has YouTube to itself
- Labour spends nearly 2x more than others
- Tory spend is high post-conference (i.e. over the last week), but lower than through the late summer
- Reform spending has dropped off after a busy summer
- Labour has YouTube to itself
- Labour spends nearly 2x more than others
The Conservatives are running a number of new digital ads promoting ideas announced at their conference - leaving the ECHR, abolishing stamp duty, cutting tax by £5,000 for first jobs all getting an airing. www.facebook.com/ads/library/...
October 10, 2025 at 7:37 AM
The Conservatives are running a number of new digital ads promoting ideas announced at their conference - leaving the ECHR, abolishing stamp duty, cutting tax by £5,000 for first jobs all getting an airing. www.facebook.com/ads/library/...
Labour also runs "Reform Revealed", which attacks Farage's party's record in local government. Welsh Labour also runs ads going after Reform. It's something of a truism in British politics that Labour is too scared to go after Reform, but in their ads, they do it nearly every day.
October 10, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Labour also runs "Reform Revealed", which attacks Farage's party's record in local government. Welsh Labour also runs ads going after Reform. It's something of a truism in British politics that Labour is too scared to go after Reform, but in their ads, they do it nearly every day.
And also, a number of "Labour is the patriotic party" type ads (this one is a greatest hits of sporting moments, music icons, full English breakfasts and union jacks, soundtracked by Come on Eileen by Dexy's). www.facebook.com/ads/library/...
October 9, 2025 at 12:54 PM
And also, a number of "Labour is the patriotic party" type ads (this one is a greatest hits of sporting moments, music icons, full English breakfasts and union jacks, soundtracked by Come on Eileen by Dexy's). www.facebook.com/ads/library/...
Labour has launched a number of attack ads targeting Reform and Nigel Farage. Goes after the party on health costs, racism allegations and being "recycled Tories".
October 9, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Labour has launched a number of attack ads targeting Reform and Nigel Farage. Goes after the party on health costs, racism allegations and being "recycled Tories".
Many of the ads pushed people towards more direct forms of communication with the party and its satellites, designed to replace the loss of paid advertising, which Fidesz has dominated (around 80% of total spent since 2023) in Hungary for many years.
October 8, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Many of the ads pushed people towards more direct forms of communication with the party and its satellites, designed to replace the loss of paid advertising, which Fidesz has dominated (around 80% of total spent since 2023) in Hungary for many years.
In Hungary, it looks as if Meta's decision to end political advertising in Europe (announced late July) led to a significant increase in activity by Fidesz and its supporters/allies.
October 8, 2025 at 8:56 AM
In Hungary, it looks as if Meta's decision to end political advertising in Europe (announced late July) led to a significant increase in activity by Fidesz and its supporters/allies.
Apologies for the confusion earlier. Some of the ad library pages initially weren't loading correctly, and it looked as if all the data had been removed.
October 6, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Apologies for the confusion earlier. Some of the ad library pages initially weren't loading correctly, and it looked as if all the data had been removed.
Meta ends (at least for now) political ads in the EU today. Per their ad library data, they've run nearly 11,000,000 different political, social and issue ads in the EU since 2018 and made around €800m from them.
October 6, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Meta ends (at least for now) political ads in the EU today. Per their ad library data, they've run nearly 11,000,000 different political, social and issue ads in the EU since 2018 and made around €800m from them.
The SPOLU alliance were the top spending digital advertisers for the election in Czechia. Winner Andrej Babiš' ANO 2011 party only the third biggest buyer.*
October 5, 2025 at 7:46 AM
The SPOLU alliance were the top spending digital advertisers for the election in Czechia. Winner Andrej Babiš' ANO 2011 party only the third biggest buyer.*
Both the Conservatives and Reform have launched digital ads and data capture petitions calling for a stop to the government's plans for a national digital ID scheme.
September 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Both the Conservatives and Reform have launched digital ads and data capture petitions calling for a stop to the government's plans for a national digital ID scheme.
UK political party conference season always throws up a few unusual digital ads. Here's some from "The Freedom Association" (who seem to be pro-tobacco and are probably breaking Meta's policy against this) and the "Free Market Conservatives" (who haven't run an ad in six years).
September 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
UK political party conference season always throws up a few unusual digital ads. Here's some from "The Freedom Association" (who seem to be pro-tobacco and are probably breaking Meta's policy against this) and the "Free Market Conservatives" (who haven't run an ad in six years).