'This is Edinburgh' £1m campaign aims to attract residents back into the city following tram disruption

Created by Edinburgh-based agency The Lane the campaign stays away from tourist clichés such as the castle and the Edinburgh Festival and will target residents out with the tourist season, with the first wave running from the end of February and a second wave of activity planned for September, post-Festival.

Two 40” television ads - behind-the-scenes footage shown above - have been produced in conjunction with Greenroom Films which will be broadcast from Monday 24 February debuting on STV. Additional outdoor and digital executions will also try and entice locals back into the city with the ad running on STV, 4OD and On Demand 5 video-on-demand services. Outdoor advertising will target residents in the city centre and those on commuter routes into the city, namely from Glasgow and Perth.

Storm ID has also created a responsive site to accompany the campaign which will feature a social hub, events listings, campaign pages, offers and competition. Two social media hashtags will contribute to conversation around the campaign with #thisisedinburgh leading social conversation and #myedinburgh inviting residents to contribute hidden gems they love in the city. Wire Media is handling launch and ongoing PR.

John Donnelly, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh, commented: “When we set out to create the campaign, we spoke with lots of different groups, listening to their opinions on Edinburgh. Overwhelmingly our research found that residents had become very resistant and unresponsive to what they see as adverts of Edinburgh for the tourists. What did excite them however was the idea of rediscovering their city, finding its hidden gems and engaging in that conversation through social media.

“We’ve taken that on board and we think that those who live and work here will instantly recognise ‘This is Edinburgh’ as a real representation of the city centre; diverse, original and full of character.”

Ali Findlay, MD of The Lane, added: “Edinburgh has so much to offer, our ongoing campaign will really focus on the hidden gems and encourage people to discover their own special Edinburgh. We are particularly excited about the social media conversation that we hope will grow around #thisisedinburgh. Our ambition is to ensure that this campaign really engages with people’s interests and love of Edinburgh and that ongoing participation and a sense of shared community with the city is generated.”

The campaign comes following a survey of residents last year where 92 per cent of respondents claimed the tramworks had affected their enjoyment of the city.