Cash-strapped NI councils fork out £70,000 to local social media influencers in last five years
Cash-strapped NI councils have forked out close to £70,000 to local influencers in the last five years as part of their advertising budgets.
Influencer marketing involves using local social media personalities to showcase products and services in exchange for a fee, or a gifted product or experience.
Freedom of Information requests from Belfast Live have detailed the amount each council has spent on influencers, as well as the influencers which have been paid by the local authority.
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The data comes as most local councils announced rate rises earlier this year amid financial pressures on many local authorities.
The total spend from local councils here in the last five years amounts to £68,287, while one local council was head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the amount it has spent on paying influencers since 2019.
Derry City and Strabane District Council has paid out over £27,000 to the social media personalities during that time, with the next highest identified as Mid Ulster District Council with more than £10,000 spent.
Belfast City Council has not spent any public money on the use of influencers since 2019.
One local council said it did not hold any information relating to its spend on the contracting of influencers, as it was handled by a third party communications agency.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said it did not know how much money it had spent on influencers, as it had contracted the services of communications firm ASG and Partners to carry out the campaigns. Belfast Live requested an internal review of the council’s handling of that request, in which council chief executive David Jackson upheld the determination that it did not hold the information on how much it had spent.
The total amount spent by each council on influencers between 2019 and 2023 is detailed below:
Derry and Strabane £27,495
Mid Ulster £10,738.73
Ards North Down £7,100
Newry Mourne Down £6,550
Armagh Banbridge Craigavon £6,459
Lisburn Castlereagh £4,335
Antrim Newtownabbey £3,410
Mid and East Antrim £1,445
Fermanagh and Omagh £754
Belfast City Council £0
Causeway Coast and Glens - does not hold information on influencer spend
The local authorities were asked for further details in relation to which influencers had been paid by them during that time, and how much.
Some councils provided details on how much each influencer has been paid since 2019, while others provided a list of social media personalities but refused to provide specific details on what they have been paid, citing concerns around ‘commercially sensitive information’ and third party contracts.
A number of well-known NI media personalities feature in the list of influencers who received payments from councils, including several presenters from radio stations Cool FM and Q Radio. Pete Snodden and Paulo Ross from Cool FM feature on the list, as does Q Radio's Jordan Humphries.
Other notable names include Co Derry singer and the Voice contestant Brooke Scullion and Belfast businessman Chris Suitor.
Here’s a breakdown of the influencers used by each local council in the last five years:
Derry and Strabane (unable to provide specific payment details)
Mary Rose McCready
Tara VJ
Digg Mama
Andrea Begley
Kate Grant
Joel M
Caoilfhionn McMonagle
Rosalyn Byrne
Maire McWilliams
Jeff Meredith
Emma O’Leary
Serena Terry
Brooke Scullion
Jordan Humphries
Jenn Wood
Lisa Cannon
Chris Suitor
Nadia El Ferdaoussi
Mid Ulster
Home at Rose Cottage: £1,600
NI Explorer / Gluten Free Fi: £3,892.36
Jordan Humphries, Q Radio: £2,750
Dish You Were Here: £2,496.37
Ards North Down
Home at Rose Cottage: £600
Dillon Osborne: £600
PR campaigns coordinated by CMPR: @dishyouwerehere, @thebelfastfoodblogger, @indianblondee, @eating_ideas, @hungrygirl_belfast, @thegourmetboys: £5,900
Newry Mourne Down
Melissah Byrne (The mind of a Mammy): (Council does not hold amount paid to influencer as payment made to agency )
Rory’s Travel Club: £1,500
Our Life at the White House: £1,500
The Gourmet Boys: £1,800
Caroline O'Neill (Digg Mama): £1,750
Armagh Banbridge Craigavon (unable to provide individual payments)
Danielle Donohoe
Denise Curran
Digg Mama
Gourmet Boys
Our Life at The Whitehouse
Suzie Lee
Lisburn Castlereagh
Belfast Food Blogger: £150
Eating Ideas: £210
Grainne McCoy: £1,500
Rory Martin: £1,900
Colm Daly Media: £185
Keeva Eats: £130
Indian Blonde: £125
Gourmet Boys: £75
Belfast Times/More Belfast: £80
Antrim Newtownabbey
Our Life at the Whitehouse: £900
Dream Media Ireland / Dream DIY: £840
Northern Ireland Traveller: £500
Super Busy Mum: £500
Rose Cottage: £420
The Newtownabbey Girl: £250
Indian Blonde: £250
Hello Erin: £250
Mid East Antrim
Pete Snodden: £1,000
Paulo Ross: £445
Fermanagh and Omagh
Enjoy Everything Emma: £754
Belfast City Council 0
Causeway Coast and Glens
(Does not hold information on influencer spend)
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