Costs associated with a social media campaign: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/00024
Date received: 5 January 2018
Date responded: 22 January 2018

Information requested

Information relating to a Scottish Government social media campaign which features on www.scotland.org.

The website has hosted US-based travel/food writers who are prominent on social media. The first was Jo Stougaard, followed by Mark Miller & Ethan Heathcote, then Lindsey Hughes.

I am seeking information relating to these three trips to Scotland, specifically a breakdown of all costs incurred and any payments made by the Scottish Government or any partner organisations.

Response

The costs for the trips to Scotland for the three US-based social media influencers totalled £13,303.32 which is inclusive of VAT. This covered itinerary planning, accommodation, travel and subsistence in Scotland. The Scottish Government did not pay a fee to any of the influencers.

The itineraries were matched to the personal, ancestral and professional interests of the influencers and covered a number of regions from Scottish Borders to the Isle of Skye, introducing them to a range of people, enterprises, institutions and businesses.

The purpose of the activity was to allow the influencers to document their personal experience of what it is like to live, work, study, visit and invest in Scotland and promote it with their followers on their social media channels. The reach achieved through this activity was over 8 million people.

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