Political ad spends on Google already up 9x ahead of Lok Sabha polls

BJP emerges as largest advertiser so far in 2024

Political parties spending on advertising through Google has surged in the past few months. The rolling three-month expenditure on advertisements (ads) specifically labelled as political ads has nearly reached Rs 100 crore so far in March. This amount is nearly nine times the expenditure in March 2023 at Rs 11 crore. These ads are specifically marked as political by verified advertisers and may not encompass the entire spectrum of voter outreach through digital means, but can be broadly indicative of the trend.

The data is current (as of March 17). Google updates its data continuously.
 

Google defines ‘election ads’ as those