Analyzing the Landscape of Local Elections in Türkiye: A Deep Dive into Micro-Targeted Advertising on Meta

As we near the two-week countdown to the local elections in Türkiye, the main opposition party, the CHP, has taken the lead in spending on micro-targeted ads across Meta platforms in the country. This represents a significant shift from last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections, during which the CHP lagged far behind the ruling AKP in Meta ad spend.

On the other hand, we observe that the AKP is channeling substantial funds into advertising in major cities such as Istanbul, İzmir, Bursa, Antalya, Adana, Ordu, and Hatay. This demonstrates a strategic emphasis on the AKP’s desire to take over municipalities it does not have. In contrast, the CHP outspends AKP in Ankara, Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, and Malatya, indicating a nuanced approach to capturing different regional demographics.

In Istanbul, where 11,314,516 individuals are set to cast their votes, the AKP candidate, Murat Kurum (on the right), outspends his rival from the CHP, Ekrem İmamoğlu (on the left), by 3.2 times.

Elections become further complicated by the involvement of unofficial accounts, which play a pivotal role in shaping how voters perceive the candidates and issues. Pages like “İstanbul Gerçekleri” specifically target Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent figure for the CHP in İstanbul, with direct attack ads. Similarly, “Antalya Gerçekleri” in Antalya and “Yeni Mikrofon” in Ankara are actively engaged in negative campaigning against CHP candidates. On the flip side, “Unutma İstanbul” page seeks to sway voters by recalling the period when Istanbul was under AKP management.

The ad on the “İstanbul Gerçekleri” page claims that Ekrem İmamoğlu has been using municipal funds for his own public relations purposes.

Examining the targeting dimensions of Meta ads reveals a strategy finely tuned to specific groups. The AKP’s focus on parents with children in nursery and elementary schools, alongside the CHP is targeting users with a keen interest in Ottoman history, nationalist music, the “Diriliş Ertuğrul” series, and theology students and graduates.

As the local elections approach, the landscape of political advertising on Meta platforms provides a glimpse into the evolving tactics of voter persuasion in Türkiye. The emergence of unofficial accounts and micro-targeted ads highlights the increasingly nuanced battle for hearts and minds in the digital arena.