10 Reasons the Ad Industry Should Swot Up on the Scottish Referendum

As Scots take the high road to the polling booth to decide the future of Scotland, the world is looking on with bated breath and bemusement.  It’s been a lively and complex debate on the ground and surprising too. Engagement is through the roof and it’s predicted that the turnout at the polls will be at least 80 per cent, most likely more. But for all the grassroots activism on both sides and the knowledgeable debates playing out on social media and in the street, the campaigning on a more official level has been, well, bizarre and media coverage has been distorted. Dig a little and it soon becomes clear that, whatever the result, Scotland’s referendum should be a compulsory case study for anyone working in communications. So, whether you’re a ‘Yes’, a ‘No’ or a ‘Dinnae Ken’, check out the lessons the ad industry should learn.

1. Own the Question

The question voters have to answer is a simple yes or no: should Scotland be independent? Except… there’s nothing simple about it. The SNP-led Scottish Government drew up the question and now the pro-independence camp have the word ‘yes’ to play with. With just one word, they’ve been able to harness the power of positivity, future, hope, sunshine and all that for the campaign. The opposing team have been left with ‘no’ – dour, sensible, and grey. Had the question been framed ‘should Scotland remain in the UK’, it would have changed the psychological playing field. Still, the question’s more neutral than the original proposal ‘Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?’, which was more than a little bit cheeky.

2. The Truth? The Truth? You Can’t Handle the Truth. Oh Wait. Yes You Can. 

The mainstream media, especially that outside of Scotland, has presented it as either Braveheart vs. Every English Movie Villain Ever or A Bunch of Red-Faced, England-Hating Ginger Babies Smashing Up Piggy Banks (oh by the way, what was that Groundskeeper Willie skit from the Simpsons even about?). The truth – as ever – far more nuanced and complicated and interesting. Roughly half of Scots look like they want to vote no, and that doesn’t make them any less Scottish. Equally, many ‘yes’ supporters have come to Scotland from other countries and some were even – perish the thought – born in England. There are a lot of conflicting facts and figures floating about so people have been getting really deep into the arguments for and against. Every detail is being wrangled over by non-specialists who have made it their business to inform themselves. Yes, in many cases people are retrofitting rational arguments to unconscious gut decisions (‘tis the human way, after all), but the voters are anything but mindless. ‘Nudge’ theories around behavioural economics are all well and good, but when it comes to important, costly decisions people will find their own way to the answer.

3. Address to the Lassies

This goes for advertisers as much as political campaigns: don’t treat women like idiots. Pretty simple stuff really, or so you’d think. Overall, women have been slower to make up their minds and less bellicose and so Better Together tried to tempt them over with this gem. Needless to say, it didn’t go down well.

4. Personality Matters

It’s got to be said that none of the major players on either side could be seen as ‘national treasures’. Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has probably turned away just as many potential ‘yes’ voters than he’s attracted – he’s seen by many as slippery, smug and self-promoting. But the Better Together campaign fares no better - UK Prime Minister David Cameron didn’t go down too well on a hasty visit to Scotland and he couldn’t quite turn off ‘condescending Etonian’ however hard he tried. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Labour's Alisdair Darling hasn't exactly lit up Better Together either (although, weirdly, ex-Prime Minister Gordon has seen a Matthew McConnaughey style renaissance. However he's always been, if not popular, then less unpopular in Scotland than the rest of the UK. The dour, grumpy Presbyterian thing is totally our jam). The election is really far bigger than Salmond vs. Cameron, or Conservatives vs. the SNP. The outcome will be far bigger than either. But still, if either side had a smart, personable, relatively honest (for a politician), empathetic leader they would walk it. It reminds me of the media spend vs. creativity argument. Yes you can plaster your ads all over the place, but if your competitor does that and also invests resources in creativity they will destroy you. 

Also, get your celebrity ambassadors right. The latest effort saw David Beckham rolled out for the Better Together campaign. Now, like any red blooded woman I’m not entirely blind to Mr B’s charms… but a former England football captain being used to reach out to Scots? Interesting strategy, there. The ‘yes’ side has also struggled with stars like Sean Connery who have long argued for an independent Scotland whilst actually, err, being officially resident in the US.

5. Pick a Tone and Stick with It

The leaders of both sides have been flip-flopping like mad when it comes to the tone they choose to deploy – and that’s filtered down through the rest of the debate. The Better Together campaign has been, by turns cajoling, threatening, patronising and pleading. It all comes off a bit desperate – and I know of plenty ‘no’ voting Scots who feel frustrated and let down by the inconsistency and incompetence.  The ‘yes’ camp have also faced something of a challenge – how does one rally the population Braveheart style without actually going all Braveheart? They’ve had to be careful to present the campaign as rational and inclusive rather than emotional to avoid accusations of nationalism and comparisons with some of the more unsavoury (and racist) nationalist movements elsewhere in the UK… while at the same time encouraging people to be passionate about the cause. 

6. Complacency Will Kill You

The last few weeks have seen what was assumed by most politicians in Westminster to be a foregone conclusion turn into a right strammash. The referendum was announced in January 2012, so all parties have had quite a bit of time to prepare their arguments. But it’s only been in the last two weeks that Better Together has wheeled out the cobbled-together promise of increased powers to Scotland. The reason for that can only be complacency. During most of the campaign the Westminster government and Conservative party have been pretty relaxed because the idea that the ‘yes’ campaign might edge it was so inconceivable. Poor strategy and a lack of foresight are largely to blame (was it really so hard to anticipate that a big international sporting event like, say, this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow might buoy the ‘yes’ campaign?), but they also seriously undermined their competition. 

7. Don’t Make Promises – or Threats – You Can’t Keep

Oh promises, promises. Both sides have been flinging about the sort of outrageous promises that would turn even the most easy going voter into a quizzically-eyebrowed sceptic. Many of the ‘Yes’ sides ‘certainties’ (keeping the pound, EU membership) have been disputed by official bodies, so they might not be in the position to be offering guarantees. Equally, ‘Better Together’ has been threatening doomsday in the event of a ‘yes’ result. Galvanised by the recent ‘yes’ surge in the polls, Better Together and the leaders of the three main UK parties have started offering more powers to Scotland in the event of a ‘no’ vote, to try and coax undecided voters. Which hasn’t gone down to well in Westminster, with Conservative MPs promising a full-on backlash against David Cameron, who apparently neglected to check that the rest of his government was OK with it. 

8. Listen

It’s easy to think you know the answers – particularly if you’re swept along by the momentum of pitching or campaigning. It can be easy to kid yourself that you’ve got an ear-to-the ground, in this era of big data but that sense of what people are really thinking and feeling is a far more fluid thing. If Apple had that sensibility, they’d know that imposing U2’s new album on every iTunes user was not a great idea. And if David Cameron did, it would have been obvious that fake self-deprecation and down-with-the-working-people fake swearing (“effing Tories”) would cause a seismic cringe. 

9. Bowel Movements 

The word ‘movement’ has been a key word in the ad industry’s phrasebook. This amazing skin care product ‘started a movement’. This beer ‘started a movement’. This packet of crisps ‘started a movement’. Pshaw. Across the course of the last year, Scotland has shown what real movements look like. There have been grass roots campaigners, people debating on social media, impromptu rallies, and it’s been quite invigorating. On the other hand, it’s also been quite terrifying for both official campaigns. Once people make something their own, it’s theirs and they can do with it what they like. Better Together would probably prefer if the Orange Order had steered well clear; Yes can’t have been pleased about the haranguing of UK Labour leader Ed Miliband the other day as he walked through Edinburgh. There’s been plenty of spontaneity and ingenuity and rigour thanks to people power, holding politicians and media outlets to account.  But on the other hand, I'm not sure there are many brands or agencies with the bollocks to handle a real, living, rebellious 'movement'.

10. This Changes Everthing

Whatever the result on Friday morning, the UK if not Europe will be irrevocably changed. The debate has ruffled feathers north and south of the border, stirred up resentments and exposed several rifts in the political system. What's more, other areas in Europe have been watching closely and using the spring board of Scotland to get their own campaigns in motion.