Vilnius council member calls for review of city’s influencer marketing contracts

A Vilnius city councilor has formally requested investigations into the municipality’s decision to purchase promotional services from social media influencers, raising concerns over transparency and potential misuse of public funds, LRT reports.

Aleksandras Nemunaitis, a member of the Vilnius City Council, has filed complaints with Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission (VRK), the Special Investigation Service (STT), and the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (VVTAT). He is demanding assessments of whether influencer content commissioned by the city complies with advertising and political financing laws.

The city has allocated €8,000 to five influencers for communication services as part of a campaign promoting its ongoing projects. One influencer, Rolandas Mackevičius, will receive €3,800 (excluding VAT) for his services.

Nemunaitis argues the spending lacks accountability and may violate regulations. “For three years in a row, the municipality has allocated €960,000 annually for self-promotion—hundreds of thousands to PR agencies, €250,000 for social media content, and so on, all without proper oversight,” he told ELTA. He suspects the funds are being used to indirectly promote Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, noting that some influencer posts link to both the city’s official accounts and the mayor’s personal profile.

In his complaint to VVTAT, Nemunaitis questions whether the content meets legal requirements for clearly labeled advertising, calling it “hidden promotion.” The VRK is asked to determine if the posts constitute political advertising, which is prohibited from being funded by municipal budgets. Meanwhile, the STT is urged to investigate potential conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds.

The city’s campaign aims to publicise its website detailing current infrastructure and development projects.