Federal election: Key Victorian seats targeted in Facebook political ad spending spree

The online election battle for Victorian seats is among the fiercest in the country, with voters in Josh Frydenberg’s seat a big target. See other electorates under fire.

Jennifer Dudley-NicholsonNational technology editor

@jendudley

3 min read

May 5, 2022 - 8:57PM

News Corp Australia Network

Federal Election

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Inner Melbourne and some regional Victorian electoral seats are the targets of an ad spending spree on Facebook, with major parties and so-called “teal independents” waging fierce battles to win power in the state.

While the inner Melbourne electorate of Kooyong remains locked in the most expensive online election battle in Australia, other Victorian electorates including Maribyrnong, Higgins, McEwen and Melbourne have been inundated with thousands of dollars worth of social media ads since the federal election was called.

The news comes as an analysis shows Labor is spending up big online, splashing four times as much cash on social media as the Liberal Party this election, even running 330 Facebook ads simultaneously.

But the Liberals have been creating dirtier attack ads for Facebook and, according to experts, have been taking a more targeted approach that could pay off.

The online election battle for Victorian seats is among the fiercest in the country, with a University of Queensland study showing voters in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong had seen more than $65,000 in Facebook election ads since April 10. Mr Frydenberg has spent just over $2000 more than his main opponent, Climate 200-backed independent Dr Monique Ryan.

Labor has spent more than $22,000 on Facebook ads promoting former leader Bill Shorten in Maribyrnong. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Meanwhile, Labor has spent more than $22,000 on ads promoting former leader Bill Shorten in Maribyrnong, while the Liberals have spent more than $11,000 to support MP Katie Allen in Higgins after she won the seat in 2019.

UQ political scientist Dr Glenn Kefford, who created a tool to crunch Facebook ad data, said this election had seen much higher spending on social media due to its growing audience and the bigger budgets of independent candidates.

“The amount of money the independents are spending is really significant and unprecedented historically,” he said.

“Some of them are spending $4000 or $5000 a week on Instagram ads. Candidates from major parties don’t normally spend that and the only reason we’re seeing that spending in Kooyong is because the Liberals don’t want to lose Frydenberg.”

An analysis of the major political parties’ spending across both Facebook and Google platforms showed Labor had the biggest budget by far, with the party and its leader paying more than $247,000 for Facebook ads and $223,000 on Google ads in a week.

By comparison, the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Scott Morrison spent less than half that amount on its Google and Facebook ads combined, though many of their advertisements were more negative, using memes to mock Anthony Albanese.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, pictured with Braddon MP Gavin Pearce, and the Liberals have spent less than half of what Labor and Anthony Albanese forked out on Google and Facebook adverts. Picture: Jason Edwards

Australian National University political marketing expert Dr Andrew Hughes said the parties’ online spending exposed different campaign strategies this election.

Labor was taking a “broad target” approach, Dr Hughes said, with big spending designed to spread its message nationwide, and lock in existing supporters.

Dr Hughes said Labor’s spending had been consistently high, though the party had invested in more negative ads towards the campaign’s halfway point.

“A lot of the negative ads started after Anzac Day, touting ‘no more mistakes, no more excuses’,” he said.

“They’re targeting undecided voters with these ads — they are Labor’s biggest fear — and according to these ads they’re targeting Queensland and New South Wales.”

But the Liberal Party’s move to run fewer but more targeted ads could be a solid strategy, Dr Hughes said, if the party aimed its message to the right audiences and in marginal seats.

“Just because you’re running hundreds of ads does not mean that it’s going to be successful and it does not mean you’re good at digital,” he said.

“It’s like getting 58 text messages from someone trying to ask you out on a date.”

But both major parties are being outspent by billionaire former MP Clive Palmer. His United Australia Party has spent more than $15.2 million on election ads with Google, including $1 million in just one week.