David Cameron’s administration made a huge deal about slashing government advertising when it came to power but now it is hiking spend at the fastest rate since 2010 as the general election approaches.
Figures compiled by Nielsen for the Evening Standard show the Government splashed out £90 million on ads in the 11 months to November 2014 against £64 million in the 12 months of 2013 and almost double the nadir of 2011.
The Coalition’s £12.6 million expenditure in November was the highest monthly amount since March 2010.
The word is spend will be higher in the first quarter of 2015 — before it is halted for the election — and prime-time TV ads are now airing for military recruitment and healthy eating.
A Government source insists it does not recognise Nielsen’s figures.
A spokesman adds it has “halved the cost to taxpayers of government communications” since 2010 and uses “low-cost campaigns whenever practical”.
When the Tories axed the Central Office of Information in 2010, the suggestion was that its advertising was often wasteful — despite evidence of its effectiveness.
Clearly things are different when there is an election in the offing.
Channel 4's diversity drive
As Channel 4 announced tougher targets on diversity, with 20% of employees to come from ethnic minorities and more gay and disabled representation, the broadcaster’s diversity tsar Oona King recalled the day a TV headhunter came to rescue her from Gordon Brown’s Downing Street, where she worked.
“I had to choose between a G20 summit and Hollyoaks. The first thing I did was watch Hollyoaks,” quipped ex-Labour MP King as she addressed a C4 diversity reception in Parliament, attended by MPs Ed Vaizey and Harriet Harman.
