Time is precious.
We get to help people make the most of it.
Visit Scotland
Position Scotland as the perfect Valentine’s destination without any schmaltz. That was the ask. As chance would have it, this was the year that Fifty Shades of Grey hit the cinema screens. Which, with a small tweak, was creatively a gift - #FiftyShadesofScotland.
Although these look like 48 sheets, they were low budget socials. You can still do big ad thinking even when you don’t have a big ad budget.
This quiz for Visit Scotland ran on social.
I researched each island to find its main USP. Then designed the questions to reveal personality types. Clever coders created a matrix which meant the island you were matched to really would be your ideal getaway. Way more considered than just a isn’t-this-random-island-great answer.
It got players commenting on Facebook. Declaring their need to go to ‘their’ island.
Apart from one who was miffed they didn’t get Skye.
Tower of London
Historic Royal Palaces wanted an ad to tell folk that the Domesday Book was being exhibited in the Tower of London.
There was an irresistible juxtaposition between this ancient book and how you’d advertise a new release.
Tesco
Writing headlines is one of my favourite things.
Here’s a wee bit of point of sale for Tesco. One generic, one for Mother’s Day.
Discovery Home & Leisure Channel
The brief was to get folk to tune into the Discovery Home and Leisure channel where any eejit could learn how to do cool DIY stuff. I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea.
ScotRail
I had a regular freelance gig for eight years writing and editing ScotRail’s monthly in-train magazine. Great training in multiple stakeholder management. (There were a fair few who wanted articles about train livery and the kind of things punters really don’t care about.) I got them on a customer-focused track and filled the pages with fabulous things to do by train.
Buchanan Galleries
I’ve written guides for a few retailers and shopping centres. The products and prices should do the heavy-lifting. My job is really just to create a little bit of buzz.
Woolworths
A cinema ad for Lion King for Woolworths. Alas the store is no more, but the brand holds a warm place in my heart. Hundreds of press and 30” TV ‘funny one-liner’ ads for whatever album/film/box set were the must-haves that week.