Lula’s Government: Increased Ad Spend & Digital Strategy Under Sidônio Palmeira

Brazil’s federal government has significantly increased funding for its communications arm, allocating approximately $1 billion USD to the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom) for the current year – a 60% increase over the previous year’s budget.

The budget boost comes after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva initially offered the position of Secom Minister to Sidônio Palmeira in late 2022 during the government transition. Palmeira declined the offer at that time, but accepted it two years later, with stipulations. These included the authority to replace personnel from the prior administration and a demand for increased budgetary resources.

A substantial portion of the increased funding is earmarked for advertising campaigns, a traditional area of high expenditure for the government. However, Minister Palmeira has directed a greater share of these funds towards digital advertising, increasing the allocation to at least 30% of the total advertising spend, up from an average of 20% previously.

Data indicates a shift in strategy, with Secom consolidating advertising spend on fewer websites and platforms while simultaneously increasing investment in each. Notably, spending with Google, which manages YouTube – a key platform for government communication – has surged from $9.5 million USD in the prior year to over $36 million USD as of mid-November. Spending with Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has also risen sharply, from $20 million USD to $32.9 million USD over the same period.

The digital strategy mirrors tactics employed during Lula’s 2022 campaign, focusing on boosting posts on social media platforms. According to Meta’s ad library, Secom spent $17.6 million USD sponsoring posts on Facebook and Instagram between August and November of this year. This figure represents half of the total amount spent on advertising on those platforms over the preceding five years (2020-2025), which totaled $36.8 million USD.

“The organizational structure of Secom wasn’t prepared for a digital battle,” explained Tiago César dos Santos, Secom’s Executive Secretary, in a recent report. The recent tender for digital content contracts was the first of its kind for the Secretariat, reflecting a historically limited focus on digital channels beyond traditional advertising and press relations. The Secretariat of Strategies and Networks, now considered crucial to Secom’s operations, was only established in the second year of the previous administration.

The government’s ability to rapidly respond to events through digital channels was demonstrated in October, following the deadliest police operation in Rio de Janeiro’s history. Secom published a video condemning organized crime while simultaneously defending the government’s public safety policies and advocating for the approval of a public security constitutional amendment. The Secretariat invested over $1 million USD to promote the video on Instagram, generating approximately 100 million views – a success internally lauded for its speed and reach. “It takes fifteen to twenty days to get a traditional advertising campaign on the streets, due to the bureaucratic process,” said Tiago César. “This digital structure allows us to set the agenda a little more and not be so reactive.”

Further expansion of digital output is anticipated in 2026, with the planned activation of contracts with three agencies – Brivia, Binder, and BKR – selected to manage the government’s digital communications. The tender stipulates the annual delivery of 3,000 videos, 1,000 illustrations, banners, and infographics, 156 podcast episodes, and other digital content, with a combined budget of $98 million USD.

Palmeira assumed the role of Secom Minister in January 2025 with an initial agreement to serve for one year. It remains unclear whether this arrangement will continue. Read the full report here.