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In the lead-up to the Senedd election, Welsh Labour invested significantly more in social media advertising on Facebook and Instagram compared to other political parties, according to data from Meta. Between 20 March and 18 April, the party allocated £33,572 towards advertising on these platforms. Following Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru spent £15,360 during the same period. Other parties’ expenditures were considerably lower, with the Welsh Conservatives spending £7,448, Reform UK £3,831, the Welsh Liberal Democrats £959, and the Wales Green Party £182.
Analysis of the adverts revealed that many were narrowly targeted at specific locations such as towns, constituencies, or even particular postcodes. The detailed targeting capability of Facebook and Instagram provides insights not available on other social media platforms, as Google only releases partial data, X shares none, and TikTok prohibits political advertising altogether. The spending figures compiled by Meta include not only the main party campaigns but also local branches and individual candidates who spent over £100 in the month, suggesting that the actual totals for each party might be higher. Additionally, some adverts operated through affiliated campaign pages, such as the Liberal Democrats’ use of a page named Stop Reform UK.
The content of political adverts ranged from direct attacks on opposing parties and their leaders to emphasizing specific policies. Certain campaigns tailored their messaging to demographics based on age or gender, and local candidates utilized social media ads to raise their personal profiles. Interactive elements like petitions and clickable links were also incorporated as calls to action. It was common for parties to run multiple versions of identical adverts, adjusting the audience based on geographical or demographic targeting.
Dr Emma Connolly from University College London, who studies political communication on social media, noted the increasing investment by parties in paid online adverts. She explained, “When you use paid ads, you’ve got more control over thinking, okay, who are you going to target geographically? Are you going to target demographically? And you can kind of be a bit more specific about when you might do that in the election cycle.” Meanwhile, BBC Wales has been monitoring social media feeds created for undercover voters—fictional profiles designed to reflect diverse segments of the electorate—to observe the mix of official adverts and misinformation encountered by users. Responses to inquiries about their advertising varied, with Welsh Labour choosing not to comment. A spokesperson for Plaid Cymru emphasized the importance of social media as a “vital, cost-effective way to connect directly with voters across Wales,” especially younger audiences. Reform UK Wales highlighted their campaign message opposing a Labour-Plaid coalition, while the Welsh Conservatives pointed to their spending on leaflets and social media posts aimed at promoting policies focused on “getting Wales working again.
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