It\'s Scot agencies
There’s more to Scotland than haggis, thistles and crap football. There also happens to be a pretty vibrant marketing services scene. One that, despite taking the occassional knock now and again (anyone remember Faulds?), is still fighting fit with plenty to offer plenty of people.
In a bit of an excursion from our usual regional roving grounds we thought we’d hop over the border for a guided tour of the agencies that have been attracting the most column inches.
So, whether you’re wondering who that company is you’re pitching against, where to go for a job North of the Border, or who’s worth keeping an eye on in general, this feature is for you. This is one Tartan Army that’s actually used to winning.
Name: 999 Design Group
Location: Glasgow, Manchester and London.
Specialisms: Corporate identity, brand identity, corporate and brand literature, packaging, sales promotion, exhibitions and events, retail, catalogues, new media, signage, general graphic design.
Key Clients: BT, Reebok, Warburtons, Highland Spring, BBC, Sony PlayStation, Heals, Central Office of Information.
Principal Contact: Bill Gaughan, Richard Bissland.
Agency Soundtrack: Always look on the bright side of life.
Name: Arc Visual Communications
Location: Angus.
Specialisms: Tourism
Key clients: Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau, Angus & Dundee Tourist Board, Tayscreen, Perthshire Tourist Board.
Principal contact: Jackie Malcolm.
Agency soundtrack: Soundtrack to the film The Piano.
Name: Barkers Scotland
Location: Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Specialisms: Above and below the line advertising: social policy, retail, automotive, transport, business to business, FMCG, leisure, public relations, recruitment advertising.
Key Clients: The Scottish Executive, National Tyres, Viking, The Robertson Group, The Electoral Commission.
Principle contact: Chris Wallace.
Agency soundtrack: Let\'s Get It On.
Name: Beattie Communications
Locations: Falkirk, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London.
Specialisms: We have specialist teams serving the following sectors - consumer & retail, energy & oil, finance & investor relations, IT/telecommunications, pharmaceuticals & health, property & construction, public sector & automotive.
Key Clients: BP, BT, Bovis Lend Lease, GlaxoSmithKline, Graham\'s Dairies, Marks & Spencer, Miller Group, Napier University, Rolls-Royce, Reid Furniture, Scottish Enterprise, Saks Hair & Beauty, Specsavers Opticians & University of St Andrews.
Principal contact: Gordon Beattie or Laurna
O\'Donnell.
Agency Soundtrack: Simply the Best
Name: bigmouthmedia Ltd
Location: Edinburgh, London and the world wide web.
Specialisms: Search engine optimisation and promotion. Ethical e-mail marketing.
Key clients: Sony Ericsson, MTV, Comic Relief, Bank of Scotland, Kimberly Clark, Umbro, Laura Ashley, Early Learning Centre, Marks & Spencer, VisitScotland, Leisure Direction, Starbucks.
Principal contact: Steve Leach.
Agency soundtrack: The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again.
Name: bond advertising
Location: Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Financial, travel and leisure, homes, retail, media and arts.
Key clients: Scottish Equitable, Malmaison, Muir Homes, Deep Sea World.
Principal contact: Caroline Garrad.
Agency soundtrack: Wild Nights. Hot and Crazy
Days. Judas Priest.
Name: Citigate SMARTS
Location: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Belfast, Dublin, Birmingham.
Specialisms: Integrated communications. Inter-office networking on accounts requiring UK roll-out. Fabulous press releases and great ads.
Key clients: First Group, Scotsman Publications, Your Communications, Bavaria Beer, Diageo, Invest Northern Ireland, Ladbrokes, John Lewis, potloads of public sector work.
Principal contact: Rob Morrice.
Agency soundtrack: THE WAY IT IS The Strokes.
Name: elmwood Scotland
Location: Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Brand consultancy, strategic planning and brand design implementation.
Key clients: Whyte and Mackay, BBC Scotland, Scottish Rugby, National Museums of Scotland, UK Trade & Investment, Napier University, Curtis Fine Papers, Glenmorangie, Jenners, Scottish Courage, Rangers FC, National Trust for Scotland and Heriot-Watt University.
Principal contact: Nick Ramshaw.
Agency soundtrack:Out on the floor - Dobie Gray.
Name: family
Location: Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Communications - advertising, direct marketing and direct response advertising, digital and new media, design, research and strategic planning.
Key clients: Dunfermline Building Society, Burn Stewart Distillers, WL Gore, PokerRoom.com, Edinburgh University Management School, Martin & Frost, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Widows, Velux to name just a few.
Principal contact: Ian Wright.
Agency soundtrack: We Are Family by Sister Sledge or It\'s a Family Affair by Sly and the Family Stone.
Name: Fifth Ring Integrated Corporate Communications
Location: Aberdeen.
Specialisms: Reputation and brand management, public relations, advertising, design and digital media.
Key clients: Petrofac Facilities Management, 3i, Kerr-McGee North Sea Limited. Robert Gordon\'s College, Robert Gordon\'s University, Scotia Homes, Aberdeen
Football Club.
Principal contact: Ian Ord or Kelly Kilner.
Agency soundtrack: The Future\'s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk3.
Name: Guy Robertson Partnership.
Location: Glasgow.
Specialisms: Personal service. Pragmatic creativity. Accountable creativity.
Key clients: Toyota GB plc, Global, Tiso, NHS, SAGA 105.2fm, Proquip, Honeywell, Rangers FC.
Principal contact: Guy Robertson.
Agency soundtrack: We don\'t have one.
Name: Hookson
Location: Edinburgh, Dublin, London.
Specialism: Brand consultancy.
What makes you different: We take the ‘Big Idea’ and make it into a profitable, results-driven campaign.
Key Clients: Whyte & Mackay, Quality Healthcare Group, Wedgwood, Lauder College, Peabody Trust, Morton Fraser, One City Trust, Recommended Publications, Hogarth Group.
Principal Contact: Bryan Hook.
Agency Soundtrack: Moloko – The Time is Now.
Name: MEA Public Relations Ltd
Location: Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Crisis PR, healthcare, hi-tech, education, consumer/retail.
Key clients: Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Astound Strategic Design, Lakeland Willow Water, Codeworks.
Principal contact: Mervyn Edgecombe.
Agency soundtrack: Things Can Only Get Better.
Name: Navigator Responsive Advertising
Location: Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Responsive Advertising, Direct Marketing
Key clients: HBOS Group, De Vere Resort Ownership, ScottishPower, Intelligent Finance, Scottish Widows, Dumfries & Galloway Tourist Board, Highland Park, The Famous Grouse, Remy Martin.
Principal contact: Yvonne Hutchison.
Agency soundtrack: Our creative teams came up with the Muppet Show theme tune.
Name: Newhaven
Location: 9,000 sq. ft of converted grain store in Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Creative and strategic thinking / Effective brand solutions.
Key clients: Tennent\'s, Bass Ireland, Whyte & Mackay, AILLST Tourist Board (Loch Lomond), Metrin, Edinburgh Filmhouse, Falkirk College, Grow Wild (Organic Food), James-Morrow Home Entertainment.
Principal contact: Ken Dixon, Gareth Howells, Jonathan Shinton and Zane Radcliffe.
Agency soundtrack: \'Jacqueline\' by Franz Ferdinand.
Name of Agency - OnlyU
Location: Union House Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Direct Marketing, CRM, digital media.
Key clients: Historic Scotland,Baxters,Broadband for Scotland,Buildstore, ICS and ITI Energy.
Principal Contact: Daniel Clare.
Agency Soundtrack: Only You.
Name: Realise Limited
Location: Edinburgh and London.
Specialisms: e-business solutions - from website design and development to marketing and online brand implementation and e-business consultancy projects.
Key clients: Standard Life, Schroders, HBOS, National Trust for Scotland, Baillie Gifford, Masons.
Principal contact: Fiona Proudler.
Agency soundtrack: A few titles seem appropriate for our CD... Sunshine On Leith, A Little Help From My Friends, Yellow, Call Off The Search, Survivor.
Name: Ten Alps MTD
Location: Edinburgh
Specialisms: Fully Integrated Communications.
Key Clients: Kwik-Fit Insurance Services, Ahlstrom FiberComposites, Stewart Milne.
Principal contact: Vince Meiklejohn.
Agency Soundtrack: \"I Don’t Like Mondays\".
The Boomtown Rats.
Name: Third Eye Design
Location: Glasgow.
Specialisms: Brand creation and development.
Key clients: Royal Bank of Scotland, Interfloor plc,
K Schocolat, Mackintosh, Glasgow School of Art, NHS Scotland, Tullis Russel.
Principal contact: Mark Noë.
Agency soundtrack: Desmond Dekker & The Aces \"Israelites\".
Name: The Leith Agency
Location: Edinburgh (& London)
Specialisms: Advertising, direct marketing & CRM , brand consultancy, digital marketing, integrated communications.
Key Clients: A.G. Barr (Irn-Bru), Beat 106, Children 1st, Coors Brewers, C R Smith, Eurosource, Glenmorangie plc, Jim Beam Brands, Greater Europe, Nambarrie Tea Company, Scottish Convention Bureau, Scottish Friendly, Standard Life, Standard Life Bank, The Lettershop Group, Velux, VisitLondon, Vogue Home Furniture, WWF.
Principal contact: Phil Adams.
Agency soundtrack: What Matters - Edwin McCain.
Name: The BIG Partnership
Location: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen.
Specialisms: Corporate, consumer and crisis PR.
Key clients: Scottish Enterprise, Deloitte, Celtic, ScottishPower, Gladedale.
Principal contact: Alex Barr.
Agency soundtrack: Labour of Love.
Name: Story UK
Location: Edinburgh.
Specialisms: Creative communications agency; advertising and direct marketing that sells.
Key Clients: National Australia Group, First Direct, ntl, Direct Holidays, Glenmorangie – Ardbeg, Standard Life, M&S Money.
Principal Contact: Sue Mullen.
Agency soundtrack: Spanish Flea.
Name: The Bridge
Location: Glasgow.
Specialisms: Advertising that delivers tangible results.
Key clients: Abbey for Intermediaries, learndirect scotland, NHSHealth Scotland, NHS24, Scottish Rugby Union, ScottishPower, Unilever.
Principal contact: Brian Crook.
Agency soundtrack: Bob Marley - Three Little Birds (Don\'t Worry About a Thing).