LEAD Scotland Report: Showcasing Scotland’s Creative Superpowers

“We need to shout louder. If they don’t know, they won’t come.” These were the words of Marie Owen, founder and CEO of Scottish-based production company, LS Productions on stage at LEAD Scotland. Our flagship industry conference was back in Edinburgh this week for the first time since 2019 and it was wonderful to bring the many different parts of the sector together after four years (plans for LEAD Scotland 2021 were disrupted for obvious reasons). A huge thank you to our partners, STV and the Marketing Society Scotland, for helping make this unique event happen. 

Marie’s energy up on stage was infectious. It is the success of Scottish production companies such as LS Productions and Filming Scotland that we want to celebrate, both of whom boast rosters of many of the world’s biggest clients all eager to explore what Scotland has to offer. It’s clear from the work that was showcased and discussed that Scotland is producing brilliant content, not just for advertising but for film and TV content too. Scotland’s incredible architecture, world-renowned products, and idyllic scenery make it an ideal place to create, shoot and produce advertising campaigns. It is a world-class creative hub too with new creative agencies like New Commercial Arts proactively sourcing talent from Scottish universities to strengthen its creative capabilities. 

There is a ‘but’ though. New figures from Biggar Economics shows that employment in the Scottish advertising sector has dropped significantly since 2015. Jobs in Scottish advertising agencies have fallen from 4,500 in 2015 to 3,000 in 2021 and jobs in media have fallen by 300.

Despite that (and despite potentially damaging interventions from the Scottish government which have been avoided for now), Scotland’s advertising sector is producing work which does so much more than simply sell a product. The LEAD Scotland audience heard from Glen Gribbon, former marketing director of The Macallan and now CEO, Bladnoch Distillers about how The Macallan brand’s advertising is part of a bigger collective marketing drive by the Scottish whisky sector to generate global interest and attract tourists from all parts of the world. Just look at some of the recent work for The Macallan brand to see just how powerfully it also promotes Scotland as a must-visit destination. It’s interesting to reflect on how advertising, cleverly executed across a sector, can drive product sales, while also successfully marketing the nation those products are from. This was truly an example of Global Scotland in action.

As someone who calls Edinburgh home, I believe we need more advertising campaigns from Scottish brands which create this kind of impact, not only for selling their products but for wider Scotland too, linking product and nation together, creating this golden narrative. More creative work rooted in the Scottish community – created and produced here – is vital to making this happen. 

LEAD’s strapline, ‘where advertising meets politics’ was epitomised by former prime minister, the Rt. Hon Gordon Brown who delivered a keynote speech and cry for help from our industry to tackle poverty through his charity, the Multibank. Former chair of DCMS Select Committee and former minister for tech and the digital economy, Damian Collins OBE MP gave a speech championing the creative industries in the UK and spoke of the future opportunities to become a world leader in advertising technology. Ideas like this are most welcome. 

As I reflect on the discussions we held, I wonder if we can go harder and faster to support the Scottish advertising sector, develop and retain talent and support the nation’s economic recovery? One idea which could be key to unlocking this potential was suggested – targeted tax breaks for advertising production in Scotland which would incentivise clients from all over the world to produce work here. Dave Neilson, producer and owner of Filming Scotland touched on this idea, sharing that he had lost clients before to countries in Eastern Europe that offer such tax credits. 

The passion for a vibrant advertising community in Scotland is huge; you could feel it in the air when the LEAD Scotland delegates were together. We need more Scottish companies in the advertising sector to join and support trade bodies like the Advertising Association and The Marketing Society Scotland. The greater the collective effort, the bigger the positive impact we can have.

If you’re reading this and, like me, have a passion for Scotland and its creative capabilities, please get in touch. In my experience, a joined-up, collaborative approach is the very best way to galvanise an industry and make positive progress. This is why events such as LEAD Scotland are so important. LEAD Scotland returns to Edinburgh in 2025 – what superpowers will you showcase?