Ahead of the announcement of Budget 2018 scheduled on Feb 19, Singapore Ministry of Finance (MOF) is partnering social media influencers on Instagram to promote the upcoming Budget 2018 to younger Singaporeans, according to a Channel NewsAsia report.
Acknowledging that many Singaporeans now obtain information via online platforms and social media, especially the younger generation, MOF is partnering social media influencers to create bite-sized information on Budget 2018. Other than raising awareness of younger Singaporeans towards the national budget, the campaign also aims at boosting youth participation in the Budget process by encouraging them to attend public feedback sessions.
This year, MOF involves over 50 social media influencers through the marketing agency StarNgage in its social media campaign for Budget 2018. The campaign is estimated to reach 225,000 users on Instagram, with each involved social medial influencer having a following of between 2,000 to 30,000 Instagram users according to a report by TODAY.
Instagram posts with hashtags such as #SGBudget2018 and #MOFSGxStarNgage were found on the social media site promoting various public feedback sessions prior to the Budget 2018 as well as calling for public attention to the annual national budget. According to Straits Times, more than 30 of such posts have sprung up on Instagram.
While the Budget-related information shared on Instagram might not be in-depth discussions on public finance, the social media campaign illustrates the effort of Singapore Government to constantly engage its citizens on public policy matters. Some Instagram influencers were quoted to comment that their involvement in this campaign helped them to engage younger audience, sparked their interest in the national budget and led them to learn more about financial planning for themselves and the country.
According to the Channel NewsAsia report, a MOF spokesperson was quoted to say that the Instagram influencers were sponsored to publish Budget-related posts and that they were paid in line with market rate.
The public feedback exercise at 9 pre-Budget listening points and the REACH Pre-Budget 2018 microsite are now closed.
