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Political advertising in Brazil - statistics & facts

As of September 2022, investments into political advertising in Brazil surpassed the mark of one billion Brazilian reals - an amount that will go up as the country heads to general elections. On October 2, over 150 million Brazilians will be entitled to elect around 80 representatives, including their president. Tension and polarization mark the poll, with an expected clash of titans between the current right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and the former left-leaning President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Since the beginning of the official political campaign on August 16, 2022, candidates running for the presidency in Latin America’s largest economy have spent nearly 60 million reals on advertising and marketing.

Until October 1, the day before the Brazilian elections, candidates can promote rallies, distribute leaflets, use sound trucks, and buy ads on paid media and the internet, among other advertising and marketing activities. During this period, candidates and political parties are entitled by law to promote their candidacies on television and radio for free and using public funds – TV and radio stations get compensated by tax relief for giving up time for free advertising. Using candidates’ private resources to buy extra spots on the referred media is, therefore, not allowed.

Candidates spend big on radio and TV advertising

In general, the advertising landscape in Brazil remains predominantly focused on traditional media over digital formats. And the same goes for political ads. Between August and mid-September 2022, investments in producing content for radio and television among all candidates and parties running for a seat in the current race amounted to 230 million Brazilian reals. Considering only the candidates disputing the country’s presidency, investments in traditional advertising varied greatly: Lula spent 26 million reals on radio and TV ads production so far, against 5.8 million invested by Bolsonaro’s campaign. The difference highlights distinctions in the candidates’ strategies. Since the beginning of his government, Bolsonaro has established a preference for using social media to reach the Brazilian population - the current president conducts weekly lives on Facebook, for instance. On the other hand, Lula’s stronger focus on ads for TV and radio may reflect his strategy to win votes among people with lower incomes and limited access to the internet.

Bit by bit: usage of online ads for political campaigns picks up

While radio and TV remain major go-to's for political advertisers in Brazil, digital formats slowly ramp up. The country has one of the largest online populations worldwide, and political marketers gradually devote more of their budgets to digital advertising. In the 2022 campaign, online formats captured 10 percent of the ad spending from candidates and political parties between August and mid-September. Compared to the previous general elections, the share of digital has strongly increased. In 2018, about 6.2 percent of the expenditures on advertising and marketing activities for the entire political campaign went to sponsored content online and website creation.

Political players turn to social media to reach users skeptical of traditional media

The increasing adoption of political digital advertising in Brazil walks side by side with the progressive decrease of trust in traditional media in the country. Political advertisers seem aware of the trend. Even before candidatures for the 2022 race were formally announced, marketers resorted to online formats to promote politicians and political issues. For instance, between January 1 and September 14, 2022, political advertisers spent over 30 million Brazilian reals on Google ads. Social media platforms – so beloved as they are in Brazil – have also seen their fair share of sponsored political content. Between June and mid-August, investments on sponsored Facebook and Instagram posts mentioning Bolsonaro and Lula, for example, amounted to approximately 3.1 million reals.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by J. G. Navarro, Feb 29, 2024

Key insights

Political ad spend for 2022 elections
1.2bn BRL
Largest political advertiser on Google, by number of ads
Brasil Paralelo
Share of Brazilians who think fake news threatens democracy
77%
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