Last week, the top ten advertisers in Canada spent $179,824 on ads to reach voters nationwide. It was a quiet week for new ads, so to keep things short and sweet in this edition of Cost Per Canadian, we’re taking a look at just one new ad by the lobby group Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Frazer, Digital Director. Point Blank

Seven-Day Ad Spend
(8th August - 14th August)

Seven-Day Ad Spend By Federal Party
(8th August - 14th August)

Noted

The Quality Canadian Milk page continues to be one of the highest spenders nationwide, with a new ad encouraging lactose-intolerant people to push their dietary boundaries. 

The Facebook page "Quality Canadian Milk," run by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, has recently launched a series of ads suggesting that most people with lactose intolerance can still enjoy milk and dairy products daily without digestive discomfort. While this claim may hold true for some individuals, it’s a medical decision that should ideally be made in consultation with a healthcare provider, not influenced by a Facebook ad.

This campaign seems like a desperate attempt to reverse the steady decline in milk consumption across Canada, which has been ongoing since 2015. The ads are part of a broader strategy, as the Canadian Dairy Association runs similar campaigns across various media platforms, all aimed at boosting milk consumption. It raises questions about the ethics of using potentially misleading health claims to drive sales, especially when the advice could have real implications for people’s health.

The digital advertising landscape in 2024 is so precisely targeted that for many people, it’s impossible to know which ads your neighbours, friends and family are being influenced by. We track the biggest spenders and high-profile campaigns every week on Meta, keeping you in the loop regarding what the rest of Canada is seeing.