Sinn Féin's social media ad spend in 2024 was €44,450, more than Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Social Democrats combined.
Research from Mulley Communications, seen by BreakingNews.ie, analysed the social media ad spending of Sinn Féin (€44,450), Fine Gael (€8,450), Fianna Fáil (€7,070), Labour (€2,450), Social Democrats (€600), and People Before Profit (€0).
Sinn Féin's spend was on a total of 88 ads, comparable to the 83 ads Fine Gael pushed on social media platforms.
Fianna Fáil's approach was far more targeted, with ads often aimed at specific towns or counties, and sometimes just running for a few hours.
Labour's money was spent on eight ads, while the Social Democrats spent their money on 16 ads.
Sinn Féin's spending was far higher than the other parties combined (€18,570).
Report author Damien Mulley, who recently published research on political parties' social media presence and engagement, said: "The 2024 political ad campaigns in Ireland reveal a strong focus on addressing immediate economic and social concerns, notably the housing and healthcare crises."
Common themes across parties included:
- Economic and social issues, notably housing and healthcare.
- Advocacy for "Yes" votes in the family and care referendums.
- Educational advancements and healthcare improvements.
- Calls for systemic political changes and general election.
- Critique of current government policies on housing, healthcare, and foreign policy.
- Highlighting Government achievements.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin's 88 ads focused on a number of issues including fuel prices, the cost-of-living crisis, and housing.
The main opposition party promoted its housing plan as an alternative to the high level of emigration among young people.
Sinn Féin also pushed its community values, "ads emphasising fairness, community, and respect, calling for a government that prioritises these values and has the backing of its citizens".
Unsurprisingly, a lot of the party's ads included calls for a general election, which ramped up after the resignation announcement from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The party repeated its claim that Fine Gael should not have the right to choose the new taoiseach, with Simon Harris set to be announced as Mr Varadkar's successor this week.
Sinn Féin also called on Independent TDs to withdraw support for the Coalition, and join them in calling for a general election.
Fine Gael
Of the €8,450 Fine Gael spent on ads, €4,950 went on ads calling for a yes-yes vote in the recent family and care referendums, which were resoundingly defeated.
"The Fine Gael ads for 2024 seem to revolve around several core themes, focusing on fiscal policies, referendums, and public engagement," Mr Mulley explained.
Fine Gael also highlighted income tax and USC cuts, and the €750 relief for renters announced in 2024.
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil's €7,070 spend was spread across far more ads than the other parties. They purchased 334 ads, many of which were micro-targeted for short periods of time.
The various themes covered included investment in education, childcare fee reductions, healthcare, housing, local election candidates, and praise for healthcare workers.
Like Fine Gael, they made a significant contribution to ads advocating a yes-yes vote in the recent referendums, €2,000 of the €7,070 budget.
Fianna Fáil also invested in ads criticising the housing policies of Sinn Féin, and aiming to contrast Fianna Fáil's policies with those of their political rivals.
Labour
Labour spent €2,450. Like the Government parties, they spent money on advocating a yes-yes vote in the referendums, albeit less (€350).
Themes that Labour's ads were focused on included campaigns calling for societal change and different social events, including one calling for the creation of safe spaces for women.
They also published ads criticising the Government's approach to the housing crisis. Labour called for a target of over 50,000 homes per year.
Social Democrats
The Social Democrats spent €600 on 16 ads in 2024.
"The Social Democrats' advertisements for 2024 showcase a diverse array of themes, focusing on systemic changes, critiques of government policies, and calls for action in both domestic and international spheres," Mr Mulley noted.
The themes the Social Democrats ads addressed included housing and government accountability, social and disability rights, climate change and environmental policy, foreign policy and human rights.
People Before Profit
While Mr Mulley's previous research showed People Before Profit has a strong social media presence, unsurprisingly they did not spend any money on ads.
