Government 20 million advert

Twenty million for telling us the bl***ing obvious!

It does seem like a big waste of taxpayers' money but there may be some who need telling and always will, I suppose. In WW2 there were wardens to enforce the blackout even though most people followed the rules.

There was a big hoohaa when the energy price rises were announced. People were complaining that there wasn't a public campaign to highlight how to save energy. Now there is.
Can't win it seems!

Avaline don’t you think that ship sailed when winter began and fuel prices rose, don’t you think we were given all this advice already, my Fb newsfeed is saturated with adverts telling me to apply for this, that and the other to warm my house Martin Lewis and others have been on TV for weeks giving us all these tips
The ship sailed weeks ago so yes it’s a bloody huge waste of money

I didn't need to be told this. Only pointing out how it's impossible to keep everyone happy!

In terms of government spending £20m is negligible.

If it helps people who may not have much experience or knowledge about this, it’s certainly worth it.

It's a lot of money yes, but if it were divided amongst the UK population, its 29p each

So perhaps if it was felt to be an important message everyone needed to hear, it seemed cheap?

Siope

In terms of government spending £20m is negligible.

If it helps people who may not have much experience or knowledge about this, it’s certainly worth it.

It might be, but if you add up all these ‘little’ amounts of money wasted, then it would be a sizeable amount.
Look after the pennies and the pounds ( or millions) look after themselves.
Are there people who don’t know how to draw the curtains to keep out the cold? Oh wait, they’re the people who can’t afford the curtains.

Indeed Aveline you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Smileless2012

Indeed Aveline you can't please all of the people all of the time.

On GN political threads you cannot please any of the people any of the time

I do remember there being several requests on here for a public information film/advert regarding saving energy, now there is one…

My point being they are paying a lot of money to give us information we all know already it’s not rocket science to make sure you turn lights off and draw the curtains is it ? Are you really saying you need to be told Joe to do that Violetsky grannygravy is that your idea of an important message 🤷🏼‍♂️and even if it was it was dinned into us 3/4 months ago after the first fuel hike took place wasn’t it ? So at least it s very late to the table isn’t it?
Is anyone on here really not already pulling the curtains, shutting doors, turning lights off, and putting their heating down a couple of notches

I m not knocking paying to give information out I m moaning about the very very late timing and about the simple ideas that most thinking people would have done from day one of the hike?

Yes it’s late, and this government has to be repeatedly pushed into doing anything.

But it’s a mistake to assume that the entire country has identical - or even similar - levels of knowledge and experience, or will have seen information in the same places, or at all.

And clearly, the specific demographic and tiny number (relative to the UK population) of Gransnet users isn’t representative, so what people here know proves nothing about wider need.

Even if the cost is 29p per person, £20 million is a lot to spend on such an advertising campaign. No doubt the govt has used their mates again.

They could have put their (patronising) messages across for almost zilch if they styled the ads rather like the wonderful "Charlie Says..." public information films.

Just a reminder that (much to people's surprise) Rees Mogg's department was all ready to go with a public energy saving advice campaign in September and Liz Truss vetoed it.

I don't know why everyone is being so sniffy about this initiative. Not everyone has been brought up in money saving households; not everyone follows Martin Lewis; not everyone sees the Which money saving advice etc. Why are posters assuming that because they know what to do everyone should know? It doesn't hurt to spread the information net as widely as possible.

I think that this campaign is better late than never and may be more effective now that people have had a couple of shocking fuel bills.

I agree Maizie that it's better late than never but how on earth could it have cost 20 million.

VioletSky

It's a lot of money yes, but if it were divided amongst the UK population, its 29p each

So perhaps if it was felt to be an important message everyone needed to hear, it seemed cheap?

That was speedy mental arithmetic!
I'm impressed!!

Put like that, yes, it is.

Does that include DC who leave on lights etc?

“I agree Maizie that it's better late than never but how on earth could it have cost 20 million”

The advert hasn’t cost £20m. The entire public information campaign, which is much wider, has cost £18m.

I just thought it foes defpend on whether the advert would save everyone 29p

I think my DC could save that every day if they turned things off after themselves and stopped staring into the fridge

I just asked Alexa btw

Something a bit more radical and in-depth would have helped some of us. I think the advice is insultingly basic - for most people, who've been doing these things anyway.

I think it's probably necessary for those who need guidance and there may be more of them than we think when you consider how many people make the wrong choice in referendums or elections. Happy New Year everyone!

I think it's fine. Not all people have reliable guidance off family members or peers

Siope

“I agree Maizie that it's better late than never but how on earth could it have cost 20 million”

The advert hasn’t cost £20m. The entire public information campaign, which is much wider, has cost £18m.

The production costs won't be anything like £20 million, but buying air time and space in the media and on billboards etc is expensive.

Hints and tips on reducing energy bills or eating economically abound online. Every time I click on the internet my home page will contain a link to some site that will advise me to put foil behind radiators on an external wall, use the thermostat, turn radiators off in unoccupied rooms.

The only people who will not have got the message are either the wilfully ignorant or those who refuse to use any media anywhere - and all the advertising in the world will not reach those groups.

I think the government's iniative has got more to do with covering their backs than any serious desire to cut fuel bills.