Big Tech raises specter of China in ads aimed at killing antitrust bill
Big Tech raises specter of China in ads aimed at killing antitrust bill
Industry lobbying groups with ties to Facebook, Amazon, and Google spend millions online attacking regulations
If you’re glued to CNN or doom-scrolling on Twitter, you may think that absolutely no legislation has a chance of passing on Capitol Hill at this point. Well, last week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s major antitrust bill, The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, passed out of committee on a 16 - 6 bipartisan vote.
The proposed legislation would make a number of changes to how major companies like Amazon are allowed to operate, and several of the companies really, really don’t like it. In fact, through overt and shady lobbying efforts, tech companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon (among many others) have launched an all-out war on the bill - spending millions online and off to make sure these reforms never make it to President Biden’s desk. We’ll dig into those campaigns + more in this week’s FWIW, but first…
By the numbers
FWIW, here were the top ten political ad spenders on Facebook + Instagram last week:
The NRSC continued to be the top political spender nationwide on Facebook ads last week, dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on scammy messaging to trick mostly elderly Republicans out of their hard-earned money. At the same time, there have been several developments in the niche world of political online fundraising this week. First, several members of Congress introduced a bill to rein in “scam PACs”, which have grown in prominence in recent years. Second, a judge greenlit several state Attorneys General’s efforts to investigate Republicans’ nefarious online fundraising tactics. Kudos to the New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher, whose reporting led to these government actions. 👏
Elsewhere on Facebook, Stacey Abrams’ campaign for Governor launched a new branded Facebook page, The Georgia Report, to boost local news articles favorable to her campaign. Several stories highlighted by the page showcase her past efforts to pay off Georgians’ medical debt and remind viewers of her previous calls to keep the MLB’s All-Star game in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, here were the top political advertisers on Google + YouTube last week:
After the NRSC, the Biden Inaugural Committee was the largest spender nationwide on Google ads last week, launching a large wave of video ads targeting swing state voters. The ad, narrated by Tom Hanks, elevates the administration’s accomplishments to mark its one-year anniversary. Specifically, we’ve seen them targeting PA, MI, WI, FL, AZ, NV, NH + GA.
Jumping over to Roku advertising last week, here were the campaigns or causes running ads on that platform:
🔴 Whatley for State Senate (AL)
🔴 White for Governor (PA)
🔴 Saving Arizona PAC (AZ)
🔴 Young for Senate (IN)
🔵 Evergreen Action
… And lastly, here’s how much 💸 notable political advertisers have spent on Snapchat in 2022:
Midterm spending takeaways
The midterms are upon us, and we’re keeping a close eye on digital ad spending in key Senate, House, and Gubernatorial contests. For full access to the most comprehensive dataset of midterm digital spending, become a paying subscriber here. >>
Raphael Warnock was the top-spending battleground Senate candidate on FB + Google ads last week (view Senate data)
Stacey Abrams was the top spending battleground Gubernatorial candidate on digital ads last week (view Gov data)
AZ-01 was the most expensive swing U.S. House district race online last week (view House data)
New issue of #Campaigner just dropped!
In this week’s issue of our Campaigner newsletter (produced with our partners at Arena), we spoke with Authentic’s Mike Nellis about all things digital fundraising. Do campaigns have to spam and scam donors to raise loads of money? What are the most important ways for smaller campaigns to break through and build a war chest? We discuss those issues + more - read & subscribe here >>
Inside Big Tech’s dramatic digital ad campaigns to kill antitrust reform
If you’re glued to CNN or doom-scrolling on Twitter, you may think that absolutely no legislation has a chance of passing on Capitol Hill at this point. Well, last week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s major antitrust bill, The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, passed out of committee on a 16 - 6 bipartisan vote.
The proposed legislation would make a number of changes to how huge tech companies are allowed to operate and several of the companies really, really don’t like it. In fact, through overt and shady lobbying efforts, companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon (among many others) have launched an all-out war on the bill, spending millions online and off to make sure these reforms never make it to the President’s desk. Last week, the Washington Post reported that just seven companies had spent over $70 million on DC lobbying efforts in the past year, and they’re likely just getting started.
Over the past 90 days, we’ve noticed a huge uptick in digital ad campaigns around tech regulation - some from predictable actors, and some from obscure pop-up pages with big budgets. Here’s a breakdown of just Facebook/Instagram ad spending from the past 90 days on this:
💰 NetChoice: $1,347,116
💰 Don't Break What Works/CCIA: $494,128
💰 American Edge Project: $401,138
💰 Connected Commerce Council: $242,781
💰 Taxpayers Protection Alliance: $146,655
💰 New Democracy: $111,850
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