Scottish Government to launch youth marketing campaign
The Scottish government will begin an advertising campaign at the end of February, created by The Bridge, to change perceptions of science and encourage young people to study it.
The Positive for Science campaign launches on 23 February and will run for seven weeks. It hopes to encourage young people to study science by showing that it is an exciting part of the world around them. The creative, designed by The Bridge, show science as an important part of youth culture, by highlighting its role in areas such as football and fashion.
The campaign will target school students, who may be considering a career in science. A key element of the campaign is to target students in their learning environment. As such, TenNine, specialists in responsible poster advertising within schools, has been appointed to run the campaign. TenNine are running the posters within 84 schools across Scotland, directly targeting students who are currently considering their options for Scottish Highers.
This is an integral part of a wider multimedia campaign that will include posters outside of schools and new media, run by Mediacom.
The campaign will be launched following a decline over the last ten years in students sitting Scottish higher grades in Science and an 11 per cent decline in the share of entries to science courses at universities, all of which predict an employment gap in years to come.
Meanwhile, Civic worked closely with the client and the other creative agencies to develope the digital marketing side of the campaign.
Research conducted by the Scottish Government identified that there are misconceptions amongst young people about science, with many believing it is more difficult than other degrees and it narrows career options.
The campaign aims to challenge misconceptions and stereotypes of science amongst secondary school children, change its geeky image, and ultimately, encourage more young people to consider science courses at school and university.
Ian Alexander, manager of TenNine’s Scottish operations, commented: “We are very pleased that the Scottish Government has partnered with TenNine for such an important campaign. The campaign’s could have an vital impact on the country’s future prosperity, and its success is dependent upon getting the message to the right people – secondary school children making decisions about what to study for their Highers or at university.
“Advertising in schools is sometimes questioned, but projects like this are a reminder that, when done properly and responsibly, advertising in schools can have a really positive impact on the lives of young people and we are proud to be able to offer advertisers an effective route to them”.