Digital
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BJP's digital ad spending soars to nearly Rs.17 crore in last 7 days amid election season
As Lok Sabha Election progresses, political parties invest heavily in digital advertising, Google and Meta witness surge in expenditure.
The Indian National Congress followed closely, spending Rs2.29 crore on 55 ads during the period from April 28 to May 4. (Image source: CNBC-TV18)
Half way through the Lok Sabha polls, political parties continue to ramp up their digital advertising spends, showing no signs of slowing down.
According to data from Google’s Ads Transparency Centre , a total of Rs25.50 crore was spent on 44,570 ads in the past seven days alone.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the highest spender with spends to the tune of Rs13.9 crore on political ads. They were followed by the Indian National Congress at Rs3.44 crore.
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh emerged as the top spending states, with ad expenditures ranging between Rs1.7 crore to Rs6.5 crore.
Video ads dominated the ad format, constituting 82.6 percent of total. Rs 21.1 crore out of the Rs25.50 crore was spent on videos. Image ads and text ads on the other hand accounted for 17.3 percent and 0.06 percent, respectively.
Moving on to Meta, similar spending trends were observed. The BJP led the pack, spending Rs3.13 crore on 113,887 ads related to social issues, politics, and elections.
The Indian National Congress followed closely, spending Rs2.29 crore on 55 ads during the period from April 28 to May 4.
Additionally, Orissa's Ama Chunha Sankha Chinha with campaign communication from Naveen Patnaik page secured the third spot in terms of expenditure, shelling out Rs91.11 lakh on 536 ads.
Interestingly the daily spends of political parties and candidates on the platform is also high.
BJP’s digital ad spends saw a significant surge on Meta, particularly on May 4, when expenditures reached Rs63.25 lakh on a single day on 928 ads. Similarly, on the same day the Indian National Congress also spent Rs 29.57 lakh on Meta ads.
In terms of state wise spends, Maharashtra emerged as the top-spending state on Meta, with a total ad spend of Rs15.56 crore. The top advertisers in Maharashtra included BJP, Indian National Congress and the Phir Ekbar Modi Sarkar page. Other states with noteworthy spending included Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, and Telangana.
Digital spending is surging, driven by not just simple ads but also precision targeting and social media influencers.
SPOTLIGHT
At the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spotlighted the critical role of traditional media in an evolving digital landscape. He emphasized that such gatherings can aid the govt in formulating more effective policies for a balanced and sustainable media ecosystem.
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