Breakdown of Scottish Government advertising spending costs: FOI release

Information requested

How much was spent by the Scottish Government on advertising in 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, and how much has been spent this year to date (2021/22) on advertising. Please include a breakdown of ALL costs including:

1. Cost of television advertising

2. Cost of radio advertising

3. Cost of newspaper advertising

4. Cost of any social media advertising

5. Other online spend

Response

The Scottish Government publishes its marketing spend annually each year on it’s website at www.gov.scot.

Please find below links to the spend for the last two full financial years:

2018/19 - Marketing spend 2018-2019 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2019/20 - Marketing spend: 2019 to 2020 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In relation to the marketing spend of 2020/21, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide the information you have requested because an exemption under section 27(1)of FOISA which allows public authorities to not disclose information if they already plan to publish it within the next 12 weeks. We will be publishing the 2020-21 marketing spend on gov.scot within the next 12 weeks.

In regards to 2021/22, final budgets won’t be known until full financial reconciliation has taken place. However below we have provided figures for this financial year, from 1 April to 31 August, below:

Marketing Services			Total
Media Planning and Buying	TV	£1,238,904.97
	Radio	£1,093,059.13
	Press	£75,470.38
	Online	£1,395,783.43
	Poster	£935,183.56
	Fees	£5,004.00
TOTAL			£4,743,405.47

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.