Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
FOI Reference: FOI/202500485196
Date received: 18 September 2025
Date responded: 15 October 2025
Information requested
Request for information 1:
In each of the last five financial years up to 1 September 2025 (or most recent date) the total spent on TV and social media advertising (broken down by year).
Request for information 2:
Details of the advertising:
Request for information 3:
The cost of each advert and the breakdown between different services (TV, YouTube, streaming services)
Request for information 4:
An analysis on the success or otherwise of the advertising campaign.
Response
Request for information 2:
2020 |
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Campaign |
Payments promoted |
Messaging |
Target audience |
Best Start Grant School Age Payment |
Best Start Grant School Age Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Best Start Grant School Age Payment |
Best Start Grant School Age Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
2021 |
|||
Campaign |
Payments promoted |
Messaging |
Target audience |
Best Start Grant School Age Payment |
Best Start Grant School Age Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Grants |
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment Best Start Grant School Age Payment Best Start Foods Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Job Start Payment |
Job Start Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Pregnancy and Baby Payment |
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Job Start Payment |
Job Start Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
2022 |
|||
Campaign |
Payments promoted |
Messaging |
Target audience |
Parental Campaign |
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment Best Start Grant School Age Payment Best Start Foods Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Funeral Support Payment |
Funeral Support Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Best Start Foods |
Best Start Foods |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Five Family Payments |
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment Best Start Grant School Age Payment Best Start Foods Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Adult Disability Payment |
Adult Disability Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Child Disability Payment |
Child Disability Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Job Start Payment |
Job Start Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
2023 |
|||
Campaign |
Payments promoted |
Messaging |
Target audience |
Scottish Child Payment - extension to under 16's |
Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Funeral Support Payment |
Funeral Support Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Young Carer Grant |
Young Carer Grant |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Winter Heating Payment |
Winter Heating Payment |
Raising awareness of benefit |
Those eligible |
Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment |
Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Scottish Child Payment |
Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Job Start Payment |
Job Start Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Best Start Pregnancy and Baby |
Best Start Pregnancy and Baby |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
2024 |
|||
Campaign |
Payments promoted |
Messaging |
Target audience |
Funeral Support Payment |
Funeral Support Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Pension Age Disability Payment pilot |
Pension Age Disability Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible in pilot areas |
Carer Support Payment pilot |
Carer Support Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible in pilot areas |
Promoted social media posts |
Posts linked through to guide covering all payments |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
2025 |
|||
Campaign |
Payments promoted |
Messaging |
Target audience |
Scottish Child Payment |
Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Carer Support Payment |
Carer Support Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Best Start Foods |
Best Start Foods |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Scottish Child Payment |
Scottish Child Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Pension Age Disability Payment |
Pension Age Disability Payment |
Promoting benefit take up |
Those eligible |
Request for information 4:
Campaign performance is assessed using a range of measures tailored to the specific aims, channels, and resources of each campaign. These may include indicators such as engagement with digital content, visits to signposted websites, and levels of audience understanding and intended actions.
While these measures help inform internal evaluation, the primary aim of most campaigns is to support benefit take-up. However, the majority of campaigns are run to support Social Security Scotland’s commitment to ensuring that everyone who is eligible for support receives it (benefit take up). The Scottish Government publishes annual take-up rates each year. The most recent publication was published on 14 October 2025 and can be found here:
Take-up Rates of Scottish Benefits: October 2025 / https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806431953
Take-up Rates of Scottish Benefits: October 2025 - Easy Read / https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806431946
Requests for information 1 and 3:
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. This information requested is not held in a readily accessible format and locating it would require a manual review of a substantial volume of individual invoices. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.
You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example, narrowing the timeframe. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: https://www.foi.scot/how-do-i-ask
About FOI
Social Security Scotland is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. The Scottish Government also publishes responses to requests. You can view the responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses