Voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections has concluded. Throughout this initial stage, political entities have expended Rs. 365 million on campaigning for their electoral agendas, manifestos, policies, and achievements, giving prominence to platforms like Google and Meta. Analysis reveals Congress, despite a sluggish start, is not far behind the BJP in terms of ad spend.
The BJP has allocated Rs. 147 million to Google ads, while from March 15 to April 13, Congress spent Rs. 123 million on Google's platform. The DMK, a Congress ally, also invested Rs. 121 million in Google advertising. For the BJP, their preferred choice was Google, where they spent 81% of their total ad budget, whereas Congress expended 78% of their advertisement funds on Google.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress ranked third in overall online ad spending, behind other prominent parties like TMC, BJD, and TDP. Notably, a top 'political advertisers' meme page on Meta outspent regional parties such as BJD and TDP.
Focus of Political Parties
On Friday, 102 Lok Sabha seats went to the polls, with Tamil Nadu alone accounting for 39 seats. The focus of online ads also reflected this pattern, explicitly targeting areas with the most seats being contested. For example, during the first phase, political groups directed their ad efforts primarily at Tamil Nadu. Parties spent a substantial Rs. 171 million on ads targeting this state.
While the BJP earmarked Rs. 17 million for ads targeting Tamil voters, DMK spent a significant Rs. 110 million. Congress allotted Rs. 780,000 for their Tamil Nadu-focused campaigns. While DMK contested in 30 Lok Sabha seats, their ally Congress pinned hopes on the remaining nine seats, and BJP candidates waged electoral battles across 23 Lok Sabha seats.
It's noteworthy that political parties particularly focused on YouTube for their ad campaigns. The BJP dedicated Rs. 95 million of their total Rs. 147 million budget to YouTube. Meanwhile, Congress, DMK, and YSR Congress Party spent Rs. 74 million, Rs. 68 million, and Rs. 24 million on YouTube ads, respectively.
According to Google Ads Transparency Centre, around 80% of BJP's total Google ad budget was expended on spreading video advertisements. Congress followed with 77%, and DMK with 62% allocated to video ad dissemination.
Key Issues Targeted in Advertisements
The BJP aimed to showcase the Modi government's welfare schemes, youth and development initiatives, skill development, the Ram Temple, and the abrogation of Article 370 to the electorate.
Congress highlighted unemployment, job security, promises outlined in their manifesto, development, examination leaks, and farmers' issues as part of their advertising campaign.
DMK's online campaign focused on saving the Indian Constitution from the BJP, preserving India, promoting Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's policies, and spreading the 'Dravidian model' to other states.
Outsourcing of Advertisements by Parties
Google and Meta's election transparency data also indicate that political ad outsourcing is rapidly expanding in India. For instance, political parties have accorded priorities to professional agencies for their online ad campaigns.
The DMK relied entirely on the Populous Empowerment Network Pvt. Ltd. for online ad placement, while parties like TMC and YSR Congress hired the company Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), founded by Prashant Kishor.
