Brand Scotland "American Friends" advert costs: FOI release

Information requested

1) The cost of production of the #BrandScotland "American Friends" advert published on or around 4th Feb 2025 (e.g. https://bsky.app/profile/angusrobertson.bsky.social/post/3lhdlnpyzxy2v)

2) The marketing spend for that advert directed at audiences within the United States of America.

3) The marketing spend for that advert directed at audiences within Scotland.

4) A list of known venues, broadcasters or other outlets within the United States of America that the advert has been shown on between initial publication and date of response.

Response

The cost of production of the #BrandScotland "American Friends" advert published on or around 4th Feb 2025

The film was first produced in March 2022 as a piece of social content to mark Tartan Day and cost £5000. In 2023, it was updated to include new images, script, and soundtrack as well as two different end frames and formats (landscape and portrait), to optimise usage across the wider Tartan Week programme of events. The total cost for these further production updates was £7,240.

The marketing spend for that advert directed at audiences within the United States of America

• In 2022, paid-for media marketing ran from 6 – 19 April, costing £4,494.19
• In 2023, paid-for media marketing ran from 28 April – 6 April, costing £19,047.62 and from 13 – 15 April, costing £4,710.05

The marketing spend for that advert directed at audiences within Scotland

There has been no paid-for media marketing spend allocated to audiences within Scotland.

A list of known venues, broadcasters or other outlets within the United States of America that the advert has been shown on between initial publication and date of response

• In 2022, the video was shown at the Black Barn in Manhattan, where a series of events marking Tartan Week took place over three days.
• In 2023, the video was shown at a Tartan Week alumni event at the British Consulate (NY), and diaspora breakfast at Virgin Hotels NYC.
• In 2024, the video was used for an alumni event at the British Consulate (NY), and The Washington Tattoo event in Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA.

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