Strong Scots showing in UK awards shortlist

A THIRD of the agencies to have reached the final shortlist in a UK-wide competition being run by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising are Scottish.

Of the 15 agencies to have reached the final stages of the IPA Effectiveness Awards, five are from ‘north of the border’. In June, there had been 28 agencies chosen to be in the running for the awards.

The quintet are The Union, the Leith Agency, The Bridge, Frame and MediaCom Scotland.

Says the IPA of the awards: “This is the most rigorous effectiveness awards scheme in the world, for campaigns that have proved the commercial power of their ideas and the return on marketing investment.”

By coincidence, the final is taking place in Scotland – in Edinburgh, in November.

The Union Advertising Agency, based in Edinburgh, has had two entries shortlisted: one for Historic Scotland – ‘Blasts from the past; bringing history to life for historic Scotland’.

The other is for the Scottish Executive – ‘Life after death; the difficult business of signing people up for organ donation’.

The Leith Agency, also based in the capital, has been shortlisted for its campaign for the Scottish Executive, ‘Continuing the fight against drug dealers’.

The Bridge, based in Glasgow, has been shortlisted for their campaign for Erskine, the charity for ex-servicemen and women, ‘On the offensive. How marketing helped Erskine increase its relevance’.

Frame Agency, also from Glasgow, and MediaCom Scotland, based in Edinburgh, have been shorlisted for their joint entry for Subway Stores, ‘Subway on a roll’.