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Cost Per Canadian for July 17th
Belts are being tightened in the BC Election
Frazer Black
July 17, 2024
Cost Per Canadian for July 17th
Presented by Point Blank
The top ten political advertisers spent $151,133 last week to reach and influence Canadians. In this edition of Cost Per Canadian we take a look at how much of that was spent in BC ahead of their next election (not very much) and highlight an interesting choice by the Conservative Party of Canada to continue running a specific ad after the breaking news south of the border on Saturday.
Frazer, Digital Director. Point Blank
Seven-Day Ad Spend
(6th July - 12th July)
Page | Spend | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
$28,070 | ||
$19,212 | 🇨🇦 CA CPC | |
$18,925 | ||
$15,268 | ||
$13,934 | ||
$11,808 | ||
$11,874 | ||
$10,877 | ||
$10,714 | ||
$10,451 |
Seven-Day Ad Spend By Federal Party
(6th July - 12th July)
Party | Spend |
|---|---|
🔵 Conservative Party of Canada Including spend by the leader. | $27,400 Up 40% |
🔴 Liberal Party of Canada Including spend by the leader. | $3,511 Up 17% |
🟠 New Democratic Party of Canada Including spend by the leader. | $9,277 Up 104% |
🟢 Green Party of Canada Including spend by the leader. | $0.00 No change |
Noted:
Firearms focused ads that the Conservative Party left up following the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
The Poilievre team decided not to pause their pro-firearm ads following the attempted assassination of former President Trump. This decision starkly contrasts how other parties might respond to such an event, highlighting a hardline approach that prioritizes his message over sensitivity to global incidents. This was only underscored by his initial statement following the event, expressing that he was happy that the shooter was dead.
Pierre Poilievre’s tweet following the attempt on former President Trump.
When Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt on Saturday, politicians were quick to condemn the attack and wish him well. Even fierce political opponents.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre went further.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the attempted murder of former President Trump today. I am relieved he is safe. My prayers are with other innocent people harmed or killed by this heinous act,” he tweeted.
“I am also happy the suspected shooter is dead. Democracy must prevail.”
That’s sick. It would be barely tolerable from a ranting right-wing uncle at a family dinner. But this was a considered public message on a major public platform, a signal of Poilievre’s attitudes.
No one should be “happy” a 20-year-old suspect has been shot dead. Especially a Conservative politician who supposedly believes in the rule of law and sanctity of human life.
While it’s atypical for Canadian campaigns to pause their advertising due to events south of the border, it’s not unheard of both in acknowledgement of the event and to avoid appearing tasteless and ignorant. This does not seem to be a concern for the Conservatives.
Ads from the three major parties in British Columbia.
With less than 100 days to go until British Columbia goes to the polls, election spending remains remarkably low on Meta. Only one third-party advertiser appears to be operating as of writing this (Project for a Strong BC), and they are standing alone in an empty field, particularly when comparing their spend this week alone ($18,925) to the party spends over the last three months:
Ninety-Day Ad Spend By British Columbia Provincial Party
(14th April - 12th July)
Party | Spend |
|---|---|
🔵 Conservative Party of British Columbia Including spend by the leader. | $16,545 |
🟣 BC United Including spend by the leader. | $5,836 |
🟠 New Democratic Party of Canada Including spend by the leader. | $18,832 |
🟢 BC Green Party Including spend by the leader. | $3,114 |
Of particular note here is BC United, who spent an eye-watering amount of money on TV ads during the NHL but who now appear to have run out of steam completely, mirrored by their recent poor performance in the polls. With the official “Pre-Election“ period coming into effect on the 23rd of this month, it will be interesting to see how this landscape changes.
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 hig-profile campaigns every week on Meta, keeping you in the loop with what the rest of Canada is seeing.
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