Conservatives outspend opposition parties on Facebook election ads
The Conservatives have spent more than any other party on Facebook advertising in the first 12 days of the election campaign.
The Conservatives have spent more than £100,000 on Facebook ads since 31 October, with their advertisements mostly revolving around the “get Brexit done” message.
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The party has also put its energy into mocking Labour’s stance on Brexit and the extent of the party’s proposed spending.
Meanwhile, Labour’s spend on Facebook ads has totalled £88,393 since 31 October.
The party’s posts are attracting almost 500m impressions per day, according to digital marketing firm Click Consult.
Facebook defines impressions as “the number of times your ads were on screen”.
The party has launched a barrage of more than 80 different Facebook advertisements, many of which attack the Conservatives on their NHS record.
Promising “real change” has become a common catchcry for party’s campaign advertisements.
The Liberal Democrats have lagged behind with £56,732 spent on Facebook advertising during the election campaign.
The party’s messaging has often focussed on perceived personal likability of party leader Jo Swinson.
Twitter recently announced a ban on all political advertising, prompting calls for Facebook to do likewise.
The ban will come into place for 22 November.
Twitter boss Jack Dorsey said the decision was made, because “political message reach should be earned, not bought”.
Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg defended the decision to keep political advertisements on his platform.
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“In a democracy, I don’t think it’s right for private companies to censor politicians or the news,” he said.
“And it’s hard to define where to draw the line.”