An overview of the cost of living marketing campaign which ran from 28 September to 22 November 2022, including independent evaluation results.
Background
The UK is facing a cost of living crisis - a combined result of factors including the conflict in Ukraine, an increase in trade barriers with the European Union following Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and a continued fall in real incomes as inflation and prices continue to rise.
In summer 2022, as costs continued to rise, it was clear that the audience of people who might benefit from financial support was growing. People who had previously considered themselves to be moderately comfortably off found themselves struggling to make ends meet, and those already in financial difficulty experienced further pressure.
Communications had an essential role to play when it came to increasing awareness of the support available, but also to motivate and prompt action among the population to increase uptake of that support and help tackle the known stigma that serves as a barrier to benefit uptake for many.
To consolidate activity across multiple policy areas and create a joined up approach to increasing awareness of the wide range of support available, a new website and accompanying marketing campaign were planned. The website provided information about all benefits, support and grants in one place. The campaign website can be viewed online.
The wider target audience for the campaign was socio-economic groups C1C2DE in Scotland - with a particular focus on those facing the most financial difficulties.
The campaign ran from September to November 2022 across multiple channels.
Click here for the full press release