INSIDE THE SCOTUS SOCIAL AD BATTLE

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Designing a winning public affairs campaign requires a deep understanding of your opponent.

Facebook’s recent advertising updates represent a win for transparency advocates, but in the process, they’ve also created a vitally important new tool for opposition researchers and PR professionals of all stripes.

Recent estimates¹ put Facebook’s share of all digital advertising at nearly 20%. Nearly every major advertising effort in America includes a Facebook component, with many relying solely on the ubiquitous social network for low-cost, high-performance campaigns.

Previously unknown details of complex media buys are being uncovered, allowing the general public (and campaign opponents) to gain valuable insights into strategic decisions involving targeting, budgets, timing, and results.

Few public affairs campaigns are as important as the battle for public opinion during the confirmation proceedings for a Supreme Court Justice nominee. President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh prompted immediate ad spend from both sides of the aisle, with advertisers like political advocacy groups and candidates for public office seizing on the opportunity to activate their bases.

An initial look at the first week² in SCOTUS spending on Facebook has shown us that:

  • Roughly 64% of ad dollars spent were on campaigns opposing Kavanaugh.
  • Ads about the nomination were viewed by more women than men. Women 55+ were reached 2X as much as men in the same demographic.
  • While NARAL Pro-Choice America had the highest potential spend on a nationwide campaign, Judicial Crisis Network had more potential impressions on their state-based campaigns. This indicates JCN may be getting a higher return on ad spend for their pro-Kavanaugh ads.
  • Kavanaugh-related ads were seen more than 38 million times in the first week alone.

A full list of advertiser Facebook pages follows below.3

Engage has developed a number of innovative techniques to gather and analyze information from Facebook’s Political Ad Archive, including comprehensive reporting on the key players and competitive landscape on hot-button issues.

Originally posted through Engage LLC.

  1. https://www.emarketer.com/content/google-and-facebook-s-digital-dominance-fading-as-rivals-share-grows
  2. Data was gathered as of 3:00pm EST on July 16th, 2018 and may not be reflective of spend or results since that timeframe.
  3. Facebook pages of the top ten advertisers in week one:
    1. NARAL Pro Choice America: https://www.facebook.com/naralprochoiceamerica/
    2. Judicial Crisis Network: https://www.facebook.com/JudicialNetwork/
    3. Demand Justice: https://www.facebook.com/wedemandjusticenow/
    4. Elizabeth Warren: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethWarren/
    5. Giffords: https://www.facebook.com/giffords/
    6. Planned Parenthood Action: https://www.facebook.com/PlannedParenthoodAction/
    7. Winning for Women: https://www.facebook.com/winningforwomen/
    8. Americans for Prosperity: https://www.facebook.com/fightback/
    9. Progressive Change Campaign Committee: https://www.facebook.com/fightback/
    10. Kamala Harris: https://www.facebook.com/KamalaHarris/