Only in Scotland: Strategy

Only in Scotland - Bringing Scotland to the World

Our job is a privilege. In terms of destination brands, Scotland is one of the strongest in the world. 

As our major asset, it's important that we articulate our brand clearly to ensure a proposition that is differentiated, authentic, relevant, inspirational and motivating to both first time and repeat visitors. Our country is product rich and multi-dimensional in terms of its offerings and it’s our job to sell it as a powerfully enriching personal experience and create life-long Scotland advocates.

The creative platform – Only in Scotland – has been identified to appeal across markets, segments and geographical locations, bringing our products and experiences to life in an emotive and engaging way. A platform to showcase the unique experiences a visitor can have only in Scotland. 

We have put storytelling at the very heart of our strategy and working within a creative and content calendar framework, these stories are shaped from our values, the motivators and emotional drivers that a visitor is looking to get from a holiday in Scotland.

Our objectives are very clear – to stimulate new and sustainable growth in the visitor economy and drive regional and seasonal spread of visitors.

The challenge is we have a lot to talk about: between all of the different regions, the different types of businesses and sectors we need to promote, we are supporting industry from the south of Scotland to the northern isles of Orkney and Shetland. From award-winning food and drink to world recognised history and culture, and from log cabins and unique accommodation to golf and sailing.

Only in Scotland maximises this opportunity. It shines a light on all the great things we have to offer our visitors while continuing the strong and relevant themes championed by the Scotland Is Now campaign. 

Our integrated campaigns in our priority markets aim to raise awareness of these unique experiences. By highlighting the unique moments in this compelling and emotive way, we are capturing imagination and increasing propensity to visit.

Scotland is Calling

Our new global campaign, Scotland is Calling  launched on 30 September 2021.  The campaign promotes Only in Scotland and responsible tourism experiences to visitors from UK and our priority international markets, inspiring them to visit Scotland as soon as they can.

Using a range of paid media and digital activity, a suite of new films will be shared with potential visitors throughout the year. The campaign will be supported by inspiring content and media partnerships at key booking times for different markets, in order to convert visits for the rest of 2021 and into 2022.

Now is Your Time campaign

Our summer domestic marketing campaign for 2021, Now is Your Time, was aimed at inspiring people across the UK to support the Scottish tourism industry by enjoying a day out or booking a staycation. The campaign will covered five themes:

• Days out
• Short stays
• City breaks
• Family gatherings
• Escape and connect

Using a combination of paid media and digital activity including online videos and social media, the initiative aimed to inspire visitors and educate them on how to enjoy the country responsibly and respectfully.

We know from consumer insights that there was consumer hesitancy about booking holidays during summer, but at the same time people were also ready for a much-needed break. So, we grabbed this opportunity to showcase the diversity of Scotland and encourage people from across the UK to explore Scotland during the summer.

Making it easy for people to discover and book Scotland

Our own channels (VisitScotland.com, social media, email marketing programmes) are optimised to broaden our global reach and engagement with Scotland’s stories and products, and drive referrals to businesses. Our social media approach leverages the real experiences of the visitors that have come to Scotland and are happy to share with others. We believe that every visit enriches Scotland and the people we welcome – after all, there is no better form of advertising than through word of mouth!

And our strategic partnerships with brands, transport providers and other travel intermediaries like tour operators and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) also helps us to leverage their channels to drive propensity and bookings to Scotland.

Learn more about these useful insights on what makes our visitors and potential visitors tick and what they are looking for during their trip. And most importantly, we have also developed useful tips and tools which you can discover in our toolkit for you to use to showcase your business, region or product and why it is something special that can be found Only in Scotland!