The ACT government has once again turned to social media influencers as its Christmas helpers, commissioning local Instagram and TikTok creators to promote festive activities in Canberra's city centre.
Boosting Festive Foot Traffic with Paid Partnerships
In a bid to draw more visitors to Civic and Braddon, the City Renewal Authority has run a paid partnership campaign titled 'Christmas in the City'. The initiative, with a total budget of approximately $35,000, follows a similar strategy used during the Winter in the City campaign earlier in 2025.
The campaign involved 15 Canberra-based Instagram and TikTok accounts, selected for their strong local followings, high engagement rates, and alignment with lifestyle and event audiences. Each influencer was paid to produce a single post during November or December 2025, showcasing a family day out in the city centre. Their content featured activities like riding the merry-go-round in Garema Place, enjoying matcha drinks, and dining at local restaurants.
The $35,000 budget covers payments to the content creators, campaign strategy and coordination, and advertising boosts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok Spark. This represents an increase of $3000 compared to the winter campaign, which marked the authority's first foray into using influencers for promotional purposes.
A Response to City Centre Challenges
This marketing push comes as businesses in Civic have reported struggling with low foot traffic in recent months. The downturn has been attributed to the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, construction blocking parts of Garema Place, and continued light rail works on London Circuit.
A spokesperson for the City Renewal Authority stated the campaign aims to build on the perceived success of the July partnerships. "The campaign allows businesses to be featured as part of the activation and market the city centre and Braddon as the best place in Canberra to shop and celebrate the season," the spokesperson said. They described it as a "cost-effective and community-focused way" to encourage local support for businesses.
Alongside the influencer partnerships, the Authority is sponsoring free merry-go-round rides and carols performances in Garema Place to enhance the festive atmosphere.
Measuring Impact and Past Success
The success of these campaigns is measured through metrics like the number of users reached, total views, and average costs per view and reach. The City Renewal Authority reported that its Winter in the City campaign achieved more than one million combined views as of November 2025, at an average cost per view of just 3 cents.
The Authority also pointed to economic impact estimates, stating the 2025 Winter entertainment program was estimated to generate $4.4 million in expenditure at Civic and Braddon businesses, a significant rise from the $2.72 million estimated for the previous year's campaign.
While the exact pay cheques to individual influencers remain confidential, the spokesperson confirmed the figures are "commercial in confidence" between the creators and The Mark Agency, which holds the advertising contract for the campaign.
This is not the ACT government's first use of influencer marketing. A similar strategy was employed to promote Canberra tourism in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires.
