Written answers

Tuesday, 9 July 2019

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Departmental Advertising Expenditure

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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778. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on digital marketing in each of the past eight years; the items on which funds were spent; the criteria by which target audiences were selected; the amount of the digital spend targeted here; the amount targeted abroad; the amount that related to private companies; the amount that related to policy initiatives; and the purpose of the digital advertisements. [29391/19]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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For this response, I interpret ‘digital marketing’ as digital advertising, which includes both social media and online advertising.

My Department administers over 70 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State.  The Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public are fully aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them.  Public information campaigns, including social media and online digital advertising, are an important part of this work.  

In accordance with Government procurement policy, the Department undertook procurement for the provision of “Media Strategy, Planning and Buying Services” in 2017.  As a result of this, Wavemaker was appointed under an Office of Government Procurement framework tender and all media buying since 2017, including digital advertising, is via Wavemaker.

Public information campaigns are developed and targeted carefully in collaboration with our media buyer and use the best mix of media formats to ensure that the Department’s messages reach members of the public effectively, while ensuring value for money.

Digital and social media advertising form an important part of our Department's communications and all DEASP digital advertising, as with all advertising by the Department, is developed to help inform the public as to our services and initiatives.  Digital advertising includes programmatic adverts (across a range of media websites/news outlets), Video on Demand (VoD), sponsored digital inserts/pages, as well as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram advertising.  Digital and social media adverts can be used to target specific customer cohorts which can be useful when undertaking campaigns such as the promotion of online applications for Maternity and Paternity benefit, or the promotion of location specific initiatives such as regional jobs fairs, for example the Dundalk jobs fair.  All of the Department's digital and social media advertising is targeted within Ireland.

There was no spending on digital advertising in the years 2012, 2013 or 2015. Digital advertising expenditure, inclusive of VAT, by campaign purpose, for the years 2014 and 2016-2019 are outlined in the following tables.

2014

Campaigns which included digital advertising Digital advertising costs (incl. VAT)
Promotion of Educational Fair€1,845
Promotion of Educational Fair€554
Total:€2,399

2016

Campaigns which included digital advertisingDigital Advertising Costs (incl. VAT)
Launch of Paternity Benefit€29,520
Total:€29,520

2017

Campaigns which included digital advertisingDigital Advertising Costs (incl. VAT)
Promotion of MyGovID€40,590
Launch of Treatment Benefits for the self-employed (April 2017)€28,055
Awareness-raising campaign on welfare fraud€16,627
Promotion of Paternity Benefit€22,588
Advertising for the Blanchardstown Job Fair€813
Promotion of Jobs Week 2017€2,521
Launch of Invalidity Pension for the self-employed€9,768
Promotion of additional Treatment Benefits [optical & dental] (October 2017)€3,449
Awareness-raising of changes to the National Minimum Wage€7,380
Total:€131,791

2018

Campaigns which included digital advertisingDigital Advertising Costs (Incl. VAT)
Promotion of Jobs Week 2018€2,126
Advertising for the Dundalk Jobs Fair€984
Advertising for the Blanchardstown Jobs Fair€369
Awareness-raising of false self-employment & the Department’s role in determining employment status€14,896
Awareness-raising of changes to the National Minimum Wage€7,366
Total:€25,741

2019 (to-date)

Campaigns which included digital advertisingDigital Advertising Costs (Incl. VAT)
Launch and promotion of the MyWelfare.ie online service€24,600
Promotion of Jobs Week 2019€3,502
Awareness-raising campaign of changes to employment legislation (Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act)€4,485
Advertising of the Cross-Border Job Fair€1,599
Promotion of the Working Family Payment*€23,493
Promotion of JobsIreland.ie*€12,291
Promotion of MyWelfare.ie: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance*€14,521
Promotion of MyWelfare.ie: Maternity/Paternity Benefits*€30,705
Total:€115,196

I trust this settles the matter for the Deputy.

*Please note that this is budgeted spend. Invoices have not yet been received.

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