Why Scottish creative industry needs more industry and less Government-funded Cava
The Drum has its DNA in the wind-swept, rugged and scrubby business environment of Scotland. With 10% of the UK population it is a tiny market; there are probably McCann Erickson account groups which are larger than the entire Scottish industry.
To survive in such a climate is tough. It has created a hardy bunch of agency executives and creatives who are among the best I have ever come across. Simply to pay the rent in a world with such lean pickings is no mean feat.
What compounds the challenge is that the last time someone could be bothered counting, 75% of the marketing budgets managed in Scotland were spent south of its border. That coupled with a series of corporate takeovers has meant that even during the boom years Scotland's marketing and media business was in decline.
Many see the creative industry as a canary for the overall health of an economy. And on that measure, such is the toxic corporate climate in these parts, our little yellow friend’s feet went skywards long ago.
It’s why I see the debate currently raging over Scottish independence slightly odd. It’s almost as though the country has been taken over by a sixth-form debating society, idealistic teenagers with big ideas but little concept of what it is actually like to pay the bills.
Rather than how they are governed, most Scots are more concerned about how they are going to earn a living; whether there is a future for their children beyond a career in the public sector. I sense that Scotland is in the grip of an unacknowledged crisis in terms of the lack of private sector opportunities – it is an economy where the public sector has traditionally accounted for over 50% of GDP.
In fact there is evidence that this bloated public sector has a habit of actually squeezing out private enterprise. I came across two recent examples in my own sector. Creative Scotland – an arts quango – recently announced a tender for the publication of a creative magazine. I would argue Scotland already has one – it’s called The Drum. Why the taxpayer has to fund another one I have no idea.
Then yesterday I was told that The Lighthouse – an ailing arts venue (which despite its vast taxpayer subsidies recently had to be rescued from administration by Glasgow City Council) is to launch a new design awards.
Now wait a minute. The Drum has run the Scottish Design Awards in Glasgow for the last 20 years. So why does the public sector feel the need to replicate this effort? Surely in the midst of public sector cutbacks they would have better uses for this budget – like clearing litter from the verges of the M8 motorway? Surely they should recognise that the media is battling the most serious depression since the 30s. The last thing we need is competition from our own government.
But in my view, organisations like Glasgow City Council really need to review their interventions into the creative industries over the last 20-odd years. In this period we have seen festivals like the City of Architecture and Design, venues like The Lighthouse, events galore, and thousands of gallons of cheap Cava poured down the throats of industry luvvies at public expense.
But what have we really got to show for all this investment? The Scottish creative industry is now smaller than at any time in is history. So many graphic design studios and ad agencies have disappeared over the last few years that I would even hesitate to describe what is left as an industry.
In my view the evidence suggests direct public sector intervention in this sector usually does not work. The creative industry does not need more junkets. It needs more industry – and for that to happen Scotland requires better infrastructure: roads, rail and air connections.
In other words we have to be a bit more creative about how we can really make a difference to the creative community. More of the same will simply accelerate this cycle of decline.
Gordon Young is editor of The Drum.