Newsbrands Scotland September newsletter
News about Scottish news publishing
Commercial creative sector reels from Scottish Government advertising freeze
Scotland’s creative media sector is reeling from the suspension of all Scottish Government marketing and advertising for the rest of the year.
Expenditure in normal years climbed to £22 million in 2021-22, and although it fell to just over £6 million in 2022-23, the cancellation of campaigns has hit advertising and media buying agencies hard and redundancies are unavoidable.
The amount with news publishers last year was a modest £380,000, something which has rankled for years, but for the likes of STV and radio companies Bauer and Global to lose millions is catastrophic for the whole Scottish creative sector.
The creative work and booking strategies behind these campaigns are contracted to agencies, and even if they and media owners were generous enough to offer their services for free, the revenue loss would still mean job cuts.
The freeze has been known for some weeks, but last week it got worse, with SNP Finance Secretary Shona Robison slashing £0.8 million from VisitScotland’s budget
When the SNP revealed severe cuts were coming, they pledged that those areas essential for economic growth would be protected, yet a recent Advertising Association report showed that every £1 spent on advertising generated £5 for the Scottish economy. So what looks like a saving for the Scottish Government threatens wider economic damage and puts its tax revenue at risk.
But the implications are far greater than media jobs and economic impact, because the cancelled campaigns contain essential public information, not least of which is the real risk that the absence of a winter flu vaccination awareness programme will result in the deaths of vulnerable elderly people who have not been prompted to get their boosters.
Health campaigns like the ‘Early Bird’ cancer detection initiative by Healthier Scotland and NHS Scotland, are crucial for encouraging people, particularly in more deprived communities, to get themselves checked.
Newsbrands Scotland director John McLellan said: “Scottish Government advertising is critical for the bread and butter of the Scottish media industry, but there is no army of glamorous actors and writers calling for a re-think like that which saved the Creative Scotland Open Fund.
“Scottish agencies are now giving employees redundancy risk notices, but protected by a no compulsory redundancy policy, the jobs of those working in Scottish Government marketing are safe even though they have virtually nothing to do.
“There is no easy way out of the financial bind into which the Scottish Government is knotted, but like the Creative Scotland Open Fund, advertising investment tap needs to be reopened.”
A version of this article appeared in The Times
Google criticised for monopoly action in news competitions report
Google is using anti-competitive practices in open-display ad tech, which could be harming thousands of UK publishers and advertisers, according to the provisional findings of a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation.
Juliette Enser, CMA Interim Executive Director of Enforcement, said: “We’ve provisionally found that Google is using its market power to hinder competition when it comes to the ads people see on websites.
“Many businesses are able to keep their digital content free or cheaper by using online advertising to generate revenue. Adverts on these websites and apps reach millions of people across the UK – assisting the buying and selling of goods and services.
“That’s why it’s so important that publishers and advertisers – who enable this free content – can benefit from effective competition and get a fair deal when buying or selling digital advertising space.
News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith said: “The Competition and Market Authority’s provisional findings today state explicitly that Google’s self-preferencing of its own ad exchange causes harm to advertisers and publishers, and in turn consumers.
“In order to tackle these damaging impacts on our creative sectors, we need the new digital markets regulator to start its work investigating the large tech platforms as quickly as possible, with Google Search and Google ad tech as top priorities for designation.
“Robust conduct requirements will be critical to the success of the regime, and the Digital Markets Unit should be able to use pro-competitive interventions where needed.”
Newsbrands Scotland director John McLellan added: “This is a welcome intervention from the CMA, and is a strong signal that the tech giants must rein in their monopolistic abuses.”.
Responses needed for proposed ban on child murder identification in Scotland
Just four weeks remain to respond to the Scottish Government consultation on reporting of child homicide victims, which closes on October 1.
The Scottish Government wants to develop a full understanding of views about the proposal to make it an offence to identify anyone under the age of 18 who has been murdered,
Media organisations have concern that the proposed new law will make it virtually impossible for friends and relatives to speak out in the wake of a tragedy, like the murder of Celtic supporter Mark Scott, which led to the foundation of the anti-sectarian Nil by Mouth campaign.
It would also make it potentially illegal to report the outcome of searches for missing people who are found to have been unlawfully killed, like Bathgate teenager Vicky Hamilton, murdered by serial killer Peter Tobin.
The Scottish Government’s introduction says the intention is to “find an approach that reduces the trauma that media reporting has on bereaved families in the most horrific circumstances, whilst maintaining the principle of open justice and the right to freedom of expression.”
Newsbrands Scotland director John McLellan said: “It’s vital that the consultation receives as many responses as possible from those who recognise both the danger and impracticality of this proposal.”
Scottish Sunday wins campaign
for life-saving pregnancy test
The Scottish Government is to give NHS health boards cash to make tests for pre-eclampsia available to all women at risk, following a six-year campaign by the Sunday Post.
Editor Dave Lord said: “After years of determined campaigning, we’ve secured a monumental victory.
“Life-saving pre-eclampsia testing will now be available across Scotland, ensuring better care for mothers and babies.
“A heartfelt thank you to all the brave parents who shared their deeply moving stories. Your courage has truly made a difference.”
Times tie-up with Diageo highlights Scotland’s female business pioneers
The Times Scotland has been highlighting the story of the pioneering women who established the famous Cardhu distillery, where Diageo's best-selling single malt is made.
Established on Speyside in 1824 by Helen and her husband John Cumming the distillery moved to a new Speyside site in 1885, by which time the business was run by their daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Cumming.
Diageo commissioned a series of films focused on Helen and Elizabeth and other Scottish women who are pioneers within their chosen field and are impressive in their success, mindset, and ambition.
The Times Scotland amplified the story using branded content features in Alba (The Times Saturday) and http://thetimes.com to share the success and spirit of female founders.
Starting with a four-page Alba wrap the bicentenary celebration continues throughout September across The Times print, digital and social platforms.
