Sinn Féin biggest spenders on online ads, analysis finds

From RTE

Sinn Féin has spent the most on online ads in the past five years with Fianna Fáil a close second, according to new research.

Analysis by Mulley Communications, using Google and Meta Ad Transparency tools, shows that Sinn Féin spent €64,149 in the past 90 days on online ads, twice as much as all other parties combined.

Over the past five years Sinn Féin has spent €266,428 on online ads, followed by Fianna Fáil on a figure of €213,215.

Fine Gael spent €170,154 and Labour’s five-year online ad spend amounts to €54,139.

“When you look at the five-year ad spend of the parties, there’s not a huge difference between them,” said Damien Mulley from Mulley Communications.

“However, this year, Sinn Féin is showing a significant increase, nearing their total 2023 spend in just the first half of the year, even though the local and European campaigns have barely started.”

The analysis shows that in recent weeks, Sinn Féin has spent €7,000 on Google ads and €1,500 on Facebook and Instagram ads focusing on Taoiseach Simon Harris.

The analysis of Sinn Féin’s 2023 ad spend was calculated using the mean of expenditures, which were displayed per ad in ranges on the Meta Ad Library.