THE SCOTTISH Government spent more than £2.3m on Facebook advertising last year, up from £200,000 in 2015.
A spokesman said the tenfold increase in marketing spend was mostly down to a need to get important public health messaging out during the pandemic.
The data, released under Freedom of Information, showed that in 2015, the Scottish Government spent £203,468 on Facebook advertising. This increased to £213,823 the next year, then £223,124 the year after.
In 2018, it was £284,865 before jumping to £429,182 in 2019. In 2020, when the Covid pandemic struck, the spend increased to £1,695,492 before hitting £2,378,074 last year.
There is some sign of a slowing down in social media spend this year, with just £183,757 spent so far.
According to the Facebook Ad Library, the Scottish Government has placed around 2,500 adverts on Facebook and Instagram since 2018, with 1,300 of those from last year.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Effective communication is an essential component of government work. Communications activity is needed to explain policy and provide information to the public about the government and its services.
“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic this has included communicating vital public health messages, including work to drive vaccination and ensure people receive healthcare in the correct setting.
“We use the services of an external media buying agency to research, plan and purchase advertising space across all media platforms.
“Marketing spend, including advertising via Meta, during the pandemic is higher than previous years due to the need for significant investment to provide life-saving COVID-19 public health information which has supported the people of Scotland, businesses and organisations during the pandemic.
“We are committed to openness and transparency and publish details of our marketing spend annually on gov.scot.”
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