Last week, the top ten advertisers in Canada spent $177,024, a jump of ~$30k over the previous week. In this edition of Cost Per Canadian, we look at the culprit responsible for that jump in spending and some election information ads by Elections BC that leave a lot to be desired.

Frazer, Digital Director. Point Blank

Seven-Day Ad Spend
(29th July - 4th August)

Seven-Day Ad Spend By Federal Party
(29th July - 4th August)

Noted

US spending in Canada reached new heights last week, with nearly $50,000 spent attempting to reach eligible voters on our side of the border. Despite looking reasonably non-partisan, these ads are being run by a left-leaning group and are specifically excluding people with right-leaning interests, such as:

With the British Columbia provincial election only a few weeks away, Elections BC has launched a series of election information ads. As we’ve written, these can often have a depressing effect on voter turnout by making voting feel more complex than it is.

Unfortunately, this is not the only issue with these ads. Their targeting leaves much to be desired and could be misrepresented as targeting voters of a specific demographic with get-out-the-vote materials, thereby attempting to influence the outcome.

Their ads are specifically targeted to anyone in British Columbia (over the age of 18) who is interested in topics related to the key phrases:

People matching these themes are almost certainly aware of the impending election, and a fair number of them have likely already made a firm, if not definitive, voting decision. The themes also swing left, which sets a dangerous precedent for what could be allowed into the future.

Instead, Elections BC could use a targeting approach that excludes interests and uses Elections BC data to inform the areas most needing election information, such as:

• For polling areas with lower turnout than the median, deliver messaging about how accessible voting is and that preregistration isn’t required, and highlight locations where people can vote early or on election day.

• For polling areas where turnout was over the median, focus instead on reminding people of the election date and encouraging them to remind friends, family, and other community members to vote on or before election day to add social proof and increase the general turnout.

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.