If you only have a few seconds, read these lines:
- This occurs in a context in which the distribution of the national government’s official budget has been reduced to minimum levels since Javier Milei took office as president.
- The company with a state majority does not report in which media it advertises, despite the fact that the Access to Information Agency forced it to do so following a request for access from Checked. The same agency placed YPF in 77th place out of 100 in its transparency ranking.
- In real terms, the largest advertising expenditure of the company with a state majority occurred in 2022, during the administration of Alberto Fernández.
YPF, the oil company with majority state participation, It kept its advertising expenses practically unchanged during 2025in a context in which the distribution of the official guideline was reduced to minimum levels since the assumption of Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza) as president.
According to the latest balance sheet presented by the companyin 2025 it allocated $128,838 million in advertising and propaganda expenses, only 9 billion less in real terms (that is, discounting the effect of inflation) compared to what was spent in 2024.
The company does not publicly inform in which media it carries out its advertising actions, and ignored a ruling from the Agency for Access to Public Information that ordered him to provide that data in response to a request for access to information of Checked.
YPF’s advertising expenses
In 2024, during the first year of Milei’s presidency, YPF spent $6.3 billion less on advertising (at constant prices) than in 2023. That is, it kept its expenses practically unchanged despite the fact that The national government practically reduced the official guideline to 0.
In real terms, The largest advertising expenditure of the company with a state majority occurred in 2022 (during the administration of Alberto Fernández)when $14,908 million were allocated to advertising ($158,000 million at current values). Since then, it fell in the following 3 years, including the last of the Frente de Todos government.
The lowest expense, meanwhile, occurred in 2013 ($67 billion today) during the first full year after the company’s renationalization.
No answer on the fate of the advertising
In September 2024, the Checking Data Center requested YPF, through a request for access to public informationthe details of the media, social networks and advertising agencies that received advertising from the company.
The company He refused to provide that information. alleging that it was not obliged to be a public limited company, so this media filed a claim with the Agency for Access to Public Information, which ruled against YPF and forced her to present the requested data.
The agency’s opinion maintains that YPF’s response “was based exclusively on the argument of not being an obligated subject of the law and did not specify how providing the required information would affect the protected legal good.”
In this scenario, on March 31, the Access to Information Agency resolved the claim in favor of Checked and ordered to report YPF’s non-compliance on the portal of the Registry of Access to Public Information. However, the company continues not to provide the requested information.
The Agency for Access to Public Information placed the majority state company in 77th place in the transparency rankingamong 100 national entities and organizations. The organization awarded it a score of 28.3 out of 100 possible, when analyzing 13 aspects of compliance of access to public information.
