Historic amount of money being spent on digital ad spending for election, says Kitchener, Ont. firm

CTV’s Spencer Turcotte talks to a Kitchener-based company helping candidates get their messages out in this digital age.

There’s been a noticeable and deliberate spike in online political advertising, according to a Kitchener, Ont. digital marketing firm.

With the federal election campaign in full swing, EOK Consults is helping parties and candidates get their message out.

Managing principal of the firm, Harneet Singh, said this federal election will be one to remember.

“It’s a historic amount of money being spent on Meta ads and other kinds of social media advertising platforms to reach the voters and convince them they’re the right choice for Canadians,” said Singh.

Everywhere Canadians access information online, they’re encountering digital political advertising. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, is a hub for exactly that.

“We’ve already seen more than $1 million being spent every week during this campaign period. In total, more than $3.6 million has been spent by federal parties and their leaders on Meta advertising on Facebook and Instagram,” said Singh.

That information is publicly available through the Meta Ad Library, which allows people like Singh to see who the big spenders are during the first three weeks of campaigning.

“The Liberal Party is leading at about 51 per cent of the total spend, followed closely by the Conservative Party at 45 per cent, which is closing the gap pretty quickly,” said Singh, adding the remaining parties account for the other four per cent of total spending.

At the local level, candidates in Waterloo Region are spending as much as $300 a day. Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice for the Green Party tops that list.

“In fact, he was amongst the top five in Canada for the first couple of weeks in this election, followed by candidates like Matt Strauss in Kitchener South-Hespeler,” said Singh.

Election advertising and spending in Canada is strictly regulated and there are caps on how much can be spent.

It is something EOK Consults has to be mindful of as they assist candidates from each party, and independents, on the campaign trail.