Documents released under freedom of information laws submitted by the opposition found that $32 million in advertising value was generated by mostly negative coverage.
The fully-catered concert for an exclusive group of hand-picked social media influencers was designed to generate free publicity for SA Tourism worth the equivalent of a $7 million advertising spend.
“I think all South Australians have been skeptical about this $32 million worth of value the government’s been claiming,” opposition spokesperson for government accountability Michelle Lensink said.
“The whole campaign has just been an exercise in the government fudging figures, dodging things, and now they’ve been exposed.”
A breakdown has found about $24.5 million of the estimated advertising value equivalent (AVE) was for exposure that was negative or off-topic.
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An article highlighting the complaints of an influencer who had to urinate in front of the stage was found to be worth a separate $3 million.
Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison defended the figures a week ago, but today was no longer a fan.
“We know it captured negative press so as a measure moving forward, I think we should (have) used something else,” she said.
“We are going to try unique things, and they’re not going to be for everyone’s taste.”
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