Meta Advertising Index: Who Are the Big Spenders?
Published on: 28 Sep 2022 | Author: Jorge Uceda
Advertising & Display Reports
In this Marketing Report:
- The Industries Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the US
- The Industries Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the UK
- The Companies Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the US
- The Companies Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the UK
- Conclusions
- Methodology
In 2019, Facebook—now Meta—reportedly made $69.7 billion in advertising revenue. While companies are investing between 10-20% of their innovation budget in the metaverse, there is no denying that Meta is brimming with advertisements today.
From website banners to sponsored posts and stories, there’s no shortage of adverts on the Meta platform. It begs the question: which industries spend the most on digital advertising?
We looked at the Meta advertising library’s information on Meta adverts since November 2018 to discover which companies have spent the most money on advertising in the UK and in the US.
$517,687,901
were invested by US governmental/political organisations in Meta adverts
Mike Bloomberg
is investing the most in Meta adverts among US companies
£19,563,149
were spent by charities in the UK on Meta ads, making it the industry investing the most in that country
The Industries Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the US
1. Government/Political – $517,687,901
The government and political sectors are no strangers to advertising. In fact, an estimated 6.7 billion dollars were spent on advertising and exposure during the 2020 presidential election alone.
In Meta adverts, an astonishing $517,687,901 has been spent by government and political organisations since November 2018. The big spenders include Donald J. Trump and Joe Biden, among others.
2. Social Media – $99,236,416
It comes as no surprise that one of the biggest advertising industries on Meta is social media.
The total amount spent by social media companies on Meta adverts since 2018 is $99,236,416 across Meta, Facebook, and Instagram.
3. Global Matters – $54,288,973
One of the biggest spending industries on Meta advertising concerns global matters, amounting to $54,288,973 spent since November 2018.
Companies in this sector include PragerU, American Civil Liberties Union, and the Sandy Hook Promise.
The Industries Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the UK
1. Charity – £19,563,149
The clear top advertising industry on Meta in the UK is charities, with a collective spend of £19,563,149 since November 2018.
Charities like WWF UK, IRC, Greenpeace, and Shelter are some of the organisations spending the most on Meta ads, each totaling up to over one million pounds since 2018.
Despite being the highest spending industry on Meta adverts, there were only 43,931 adverts displayed.
2. Government/Political – £15,742,209
Government agencies and political entities are one of the biggest spending groups on Meta advertising.
In the UK, governmental and political organisations, including the Scottish Government, the UK Government, and the Labour Party, have spent £15,742,209 on advertising on Meta.
3. Social Issues – £2,035,195
With a total spend of £2,035,195, organisations combating global matters such as environmental issues are among the biggest spending industries when it comes to Meta adverts.
The total spend comes from The Climate Pledge and Friends of the Earth.
The Companies Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the US
1. Mike Bloomberg – $63,326,588
Mike Bloomberg spent the most on Meta advertising in the US since November 2018, totalling up to $63,326,588.
Under the committee “Mike Bloomberg 2020 Inc,” 181,198 adverts were displayed on Meta.
2. Donald J. Trump – $58,272,160
Advertising is essential to running a presidential campaign today, with millions of Americans using social media every single day for news and entertainment.
Since November 2018, Donald J. Trump has spent $58,272,160 on Meta adverts under the “Trump Make America Great Again” committee.
3. Joe Biden – $55,442,809
The current US president has spent more money on Meta advertising than most other companies in that country.
With a spending of $55,442,809 since November 2018, Joe Biden is one of the biggest spenders on Meta adverts in the US. For that amount, Biden bought 58,474 adverts with the “Biden Victory Fund” committee.
The Companies Spending the Most on Meta Advertising in the UK
1. WWF UK – £4,159,216
The biggest spender on Meta advertising in the UK is WWF UK, one of the world’s primary wilderness protection and conservation organisations.
Although WWF UK states they spend just 22% of their funding on fundraising, they still come in first place as the biggest spender on Meta advertising in the UK since 2018.
2. The Scottish Government – £2,492,162
The devolved government of Scotland comes in second place as one of the biggest Meta advertisers in the UK.
Since November 2018 they have spent £2,492,162 on Facebook and Meta advertising, targeting topics like mental health, poverty, and young people.
3. International Rescue Committee – £2,333,693
In third place, the International Rescue Committee completes the top three as one of the largest spenders on Meta advertising.
The humanitarian charity has spent £2,333,693 on Meta adverts since November 2018.
Conclusions
65% of users surveyed across Europe are perfectly aware of Facebook’s name change to Meta, according to one of our previous surveys. Since advertising is still one of the most used marketing techniques, it’s no surprise that most the companies want to have visibility on the new Meta platform and are willing to spend a considerable amount of their budget on it.
Methodology
We wanted to find the biggest advertising companies and industries on Meta; therefore, we used the Meta Ad Library Report to find the spending totals by specific Facebook Pages between November 29th, Nov 2018 – April 24th, 2022.
We looked at the top 50 advertisers in the United Kingdom and the United States.
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