• by Colin Kirkland , November 7, 2024

Although the 2024 U.S. presidential election was the most expensive general election in history -- with the bulk of spending going to media and advertising -- president-elect Donald Trump's campaign invested far less money on social media advertising than in the 2016 or 2020 presidential races, marking a notable shift to alternative influential media expenditures.

Overall, since March 6 in the most previous election cycle, Democrats -- including the Biden and Harris campaigns, as well as outside groups supporting them -- outspent Republicans with a campaign spend of $1.6 billion to $956 million, respectively, according to NPR.

According to a new report by eMarketer, Trump's campaign consistently spent less than Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign during crucial moments. For example, in the week after the candidates' sole debate, the Harris campaign spent $12.2 million across Facebook and Instagram, compared to the Trump campaign's spend of $611,228.

In 2016, Trump's campaign spent $44 million on Facebook versus Clinton's campaign spend of $28 million, according to Bloomberg, and in 2020, Trump's campaign spent $89.1 million on Meta platforms compared to President Joe Biden's campaign spend of $85.2 million.

Within both campaigns' overall political ad spending in 2024, priorities have shifted with the changing social-media landscape.

As the current owner of X, formerly Twitter, Elon Musk's contributions to the Trump campaign have helped boost posts for Republican politicians, according to the Washington Post, requiring less social ad spend.

“Trump's established political brand, dedicated following and support from conservative and right-wing media platforms reduced the former reality star's need for hefty spending,” says eMarketer, which added that Trump shifted a significant portion of ad spend to connected TVs, as they were better able to capture consumer attention in crucial swing states.

Unlike Harris, Trump was forced to spend $100 million on ongoing and past court cases.

Although Trump's campaign did not spend as much as it had previously on traditional social-media advertising, it was savvy in courting a specific caliber of influencer. While the Harris campaign prioritized short-form clips across TikTok and Instagram, the Trump campaign invested in podcasting and longform video on YouTube, making a deeper connection with influencers who boast massive followings -- especially among young men.

When Trump finished his victory speech Wednesday morning, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White took the mic and thanked a group of influencers that helped win Trump the election. “I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' With The Boys, and last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan,” White told the crowd.

After receiving over $1 billion in new fundraising by October, Harris held an advantage over Trump in digital and traditional advertising, but the Trump campaign targeted specific influencers who spoke directly to young men.

“Over the course of this past year, the campaign and the Republican National Committee began integrating influencers and content creators into their election operation,” writes Wired. “Influencers were invited to the primary debates and dozens of them showed up to the Republican National Convention in July.”

Ultimately, this strategy helped give Trump an edge by targeting young men across multiple media formats and platforms via influencers who shared similar beliefs to the current party, and pushing them to go out and vote.