FOI/202100225513 · FOI · withheld
COVID-19 advertising: FOI release
Information requested
1) A list of all media outlets, including but not restricted to, newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, & the internet, who have received payments from the Scottish Government or its agents for advertisements regarding all information concerning the current pandemic, the restrictions, and vaccines.
2) A detailed breakdown of the financial amounts paid to each of the entities involved in the aforementioned advertising campaigns
Response
The following information covers 1 March 2020 to 31 July 2021.
1) All advertising for the Scottish Government campaigns linked to the coronavirus pandemic are booked via the appointed media buying agency, Republic of Media. The following is the list of media outlets who have received payment from Republic of Media on behalf of the Scottish Government for campaigns linked to coronavirus as recorded in the Republic of Media financial recording system.
Video on demand 4OD(c4) Adsmart ITV broadcasting ITV digital Skygo STV player Virgin media
Digital 1XL Acast ab Adyoulike Ltd Apple inc. Bauer in-stream Blis Broughton spurtle Crimtan Daily record website Dax Dazn DQ & A Edinburgh reporter Facebook inc Google adwords Invibes Langtoon times Location sciences ai ltd Loopme ltd Mail online Media IQ digital Midlothian view Moat Mobsta Ltd My turriff Nano interactive North Edinburgh community news Oath Ogury Reddit Inc Regital PMP Rommatic Shetland news online Snapchat Spotify Spotify self serve Sublime skinz Tan media Ltd Teads ad manager The Ferret The Lochside press The Sun Tiktok Trinity mirror network online Twitch UK Ltd Twitter international company You Tube (Google)
Out of Home
Tactical media Talon outdoor Talon production Talon: clear channel Talon: global outdoor Talon: JC decaux
Press
Aberdeen advertiser series Aberdeen Evening Express Aberdeen Press & Journal Able magazine Arran banner Ayrshire Post Ayrshire weekly press group Buchan Observer group Daily Express Daily Mail Daily Record Dumfries & Galloway standard Dumfries Courier Dundee Courier Dundee Evening telegraph Edinburgh Evening news Edinburgh reporter Eskdale and Liddesdale advertiser Evening times Flourish newspaper Glasgow Herald Helensburgh and Lomond community ad Iscot magazine Lifestyle moray Mail on Sunday Media force Covid package Media force pan Scotland package Metro (Scotland) media force Scotland on Sunday Scottish Daily Mail Snack magazine Sun (Scotland) Sun on Sunday (Scotland) Sunday Express Sunday Herald Sunday Mail Sunday Post Sunday Times The Nairnshire Telegraph Ltd The National The National on Sunday The Scotsman The Skinny The Sun The Times Times (Scotland) West Highland Free Press
Radio
Argyll radio Awaz FM Bauer production Bauer Scotland Caithness FM Ltd Capital Scotland Central FM CFM 106.8 Classic FM Scotland Cuillin FM First Radio Sales Scotland Heart Scotland Heartland FM Hits radio brand (Edin/Forth) 1 Hits radio brand (Edin/Forth) 2 Hits radio brand (Glas/Clyde) 1 Hits radio brand (Glas/Clyde) 2 Isles FM K107 FM Kingdom FM Lochbroom FM Mearns FM Moray Firth 1 Moray Firth 2 Nevis radio Northsound 1 Northsound 2 Oban FM Original 106 FM Panjab radio Pulse 98.4 radio Pulse radio Pure radio Radio borders Radio Ramadan Sam FM SIBC Smooth Scotland Tay Tay FM TFM Two Lochs radio Wave FM 102 & 106.6 Waves radio 101.2 FM West FM Westsound Your radio
Television channel
4 television ITV breakfast North by northwest STV STV Wes
2) 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 33 of FOISA applies to that information as disclosure would (or would be likely to) prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person or organisation (section 33(1)(b));
All Scottish Government media buying and planning is delivered via agencies appointed through the Media planning buying and associated services 2019 to 2023 framework, and never directly with media owners or channels.
Using standard media buying software common to the sector, media buying agencies can access data on the volume of media purchased by their competitors. Providing the cost of this media alongside this would therefore enable competitors to determine the buying rates (price) for individual media companies.
This information is highly commercially sensitive within the sector and disclosure would materially disadvantage the Scottish Government contractor. Providing the specific expenditure broken down by media owners would allow competitors of the media buying agency to calculate the rates negotiated by the appointed media buying agency who work on behalf of the Scottish Government. This would commercially compromise the media buying agency.
The one exception is Digital advertising: 1XL - £134,469 Acast ab - £5,000 Adyoulike Ltd - £3,750 Apple inc. - £1,400 Bauer in-stream - £57,159 Blis - £133,194 Broughton spurtle - £840 Crimtan - £12,000 Daily Record website - £12,284 Dax - £75,144 Dazn - £40,596 DQ & A - £33,392 Edinburgh reporter - £840 Facebook inc - £1,048,810 Google AdWords - £192,216 Invibes - £120,784 Langtoon times - £360 Location sciences AI Ltd - £130 Loopme Ltd - £54,599 Mail online - £48,020 Media IQ Digital - £64,985 Midlothian view - £840 Moat - £70,365 Mobsta ltd - £114,182 My turriff - £840 Nano interactive - £6,500 North Edinburgh community news - £240 Oath - £21,412 Ogury - £91,075 Reddit Inc. - £5,645 Regital PMP - £30,000 Rommatic - £861,324 Shetland news online - £1,575 Snapchat - £79,557 Spotify - £41,033 Spotify self-serve - £96,377 Sublime skinz - £14,815 Tan Media Ltd - £7,793 Teads ad manager - £296,674~ The ferret - £1,575 The Lochside press - £840 The Sun - £65,200 Tiktok - £73,688 Trinity mirror network online - £73,956 Twitch UK Ltd - £20,000 Twitter international company - £491,846 You tube (Google) - £8,522
However, we are able to provide the expenditure broken down by media channel for the stated time period for campaigns relating to Coronavirus.
Video on demand - £2,729,674 Digital - £4,515,845 Poster - £2,243,576 Press - £3,666,113 Radio - £2,741,879 Television - £7,128,339
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.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Enquiry Unit Email: ceu@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrews House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
Bauer in-stream Blis Broughton spurtle Crimtan Daily record website Dax Dazn DQ & A Edinburgh reporter Facebook inc Google adwords Invibes Langtoon times Location sciences ai ltd Loopme ltd Mail online Media IQ digital Midlothian view Moat Mobsta Ltd My turriff Nano interactive North Edinburgh community news Oath Ogury Reddit Inc Regital PMP Rommatic Shetland news online Snapchat Spotify Spotify self serve Sublime skinz Tan media Ltd Teads ad manager The Ferret The Lochside press The Sun Tiktok Trinity mirror network online Twitch UK Ltd Twitter international company You Tube (Google) Out of Home Tactical media Talon outdoor Talon production Talon: clear channel Talon: global outdoor Talon: JC decaux Press Aberdeen advertiser series Aberdeen Evening Express Aberdeen Press & Journal Able magazine Arran banner Ayrshire Post Ayrshire weekly press group Buchan Observer group Daily Express Daily Mail Daily Record Dumfries & Galloway standard Dumfries Courier Dundee Courier Dundee Evening telegraph Edinburgh Evening news Edinburgh reporter Eskdale and Liddesdale advertiser Evening times Flourish newspaper Glasgow Herald Helensburgh and Lomond community ad Iscot magazine Lifestyle moray Mail on Sunday Media force Covid package Media force pan Scotland package Metro (Scotland) media force Scotland on Sunday Scottish Daily Mail Snack magazine Sun (Scotland) Sun on Sunday (Scotland) Sunday Express Sunday Herald Sunday Mail Sunday Post Sunday Times The Nairnshire Telegraph Ltd The National The National on Sunday The Scotsman The Skinny The Sun The Times Times (Scotland) West Highland Free Press Radio Argyll radio Awaz FM Bauer production Bauer Scotland Caithness FM Ltd Capital Scotland Central FM CFM 106.8 Classic FM Scotland Cuillin FM First Radio Sales Scotland Heart Scotland Heartland FM Hits radio brand (Edin/Forth) 1 Hits radio brand (Edin/Forth) 2 Hits radio brand (Glas/Clyde) 1 Hits radio brand (Glas/Clyde) 2 Isles FM K107 FM Kingdom FM Lochbroom FM Mearns FM Moray Firth 1 Moray Firth 2 Nevis radio Northsound 1 Northsound 2 Oban FM Original 106 FM Panjab radio Pulse 98.4 radio Pulse radio Pure radio Radio borders Radio Ramadan Sam FM SIBC Smooth Scotland Tay Tay FM TFM Two Lochs radio Wave FM 102 & 106.6 Waves radio 101.2 FM West FM Westsound Your radio Television channel 4 television ITV breakfast North by northwest STV STV Wes 2) 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 33 of FOISA applies to that information as disclosure would (or would be likely to) prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person or organisation (section 33(1)(b)); All Scottish Government media buying and planning is delivered via agencies appointed through the Media planning buying and associated services 2019 to 2023 framework, and never directly with media owners or channels.
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