Creativebrief: As Head of Marketing at VisitScotland, what are your key responsibilities and priorities?

Helen Campbell: As Head of Marketing, VisitScotland, my role is to set the marketing strategy for the UK&I marketing team, ensuring that the Organisation delivers superior consumer products and communicates this effectively to its target markets, thereby making Scotland a ‘must visit, must return’ destination. Critical to this is leading and motivating the team of 25 Marketing and PRs, energising them and gaining their commitment to a vision that enables them to contribute to the very best of their ability.

Results speak volumes at VisitScotland – our campaigns are very results focused. My role is ensure we achieve these results, taking action to exceed goals and expectations. This includes striving for continuous improvement, taking calculated risks to pursue actively opportunities to make services and work practices more efficient and effective.

Creativebrief: Your career has spanned The Boroughloch Agency, The Marketing Store and VisitScotland, what have been the high points?

Helen Campbell: Over a career spanning 20 years I have been fortunate enough to work with some inspiring individuals – people with a real passion for marketing. As a young graduate, starting off at The Boroughloch Agency, and later The Marketing Store, I worked with dedicated professionals – both colleagues and Clients, all of whom inspired me to get the most out of my day! I soon realised account handling was an area in which I had a natural aptitude – I loved the mix of creativity and people management and was fortunate enough to work with some great brands: Scottish & Newcastle, Seagram, Bank of Scotland and Highland Spring.

Successful Client relations were based on a full understanding of each other’s goals and ambitions and a desire to work in partnership to deliver this. In an ever increasing competitive market retaining Client business became the business focus, possibly even more important than winning new business. I then made the switch to VisitScotland, having worked on the account for 6 months. Being able to bring 10 years of Agency experience was invaluable and allowed us to review the way the teams worked with Agencies and importantly how Agencies worked with us. I believe I am a better marketer as a result of experiencing ‘brands’ from both sides of the fence. Just don’t ask me to choose which one I prefer!

Creativebrief: What work have you done recently that makes you the most proud?

Helen Campbell: Visitors from the UK&I are an important market for Scottish tourism, making up 84% of trips to Scotland. Based on consumer research into our advertising, the Surprise Yourself Campaign looked to reinforce the existing icons of Scotland making Scotland immediately recognisable and the audience left reminded of the Country’s outstanding assets and a desire to find out more and hopefully book. The ad created to support the Campaign featured recognisably Scottish icons and scenes, presented with a Surprising twist, showcasing Scotland in a slightly different way.

Working closely with industry the Campaign, launched in March 2011, was supported with a Direct Marketing programme, promotional partnerships and online offers, resulting in the Surprise Yourself Campaign generating £89.9m for the Scottish economy. This was testimony to achievements borne out of collaboration and partnership of Agencies, Tourism businesses and promotional partners alike. 

Helen Campbell with a poster for the animated blockbuster ‘Brave’ set to boost Scottish tourism. The animated movie set in the Highlands of Scotland is set to raise Scotland’s profile across the globe this summer. ‘Brave’ features Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald as the voice of the flame haired heroine Princess Merida who has to race against time to undo a terrible ancient curse. The movie, the brainchild of Brenda Chapman, is produced by Pixar studios and also features the voices of a host of Scots including Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltraine, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson. The Scots line-up are joined by an all star cast including Julie Waters, Emma Thompson and American John Ratzenberger – Cliff Claven from sit-com Cheers. The film will premiere in Europe as the closing screening of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 30th.

Creativebrief: Which Scottish brands do you most admire and why?

Helen Campbell: Gleneagles is a Scottish brand that I hold in high regard. It stands for excellence and luxury and delivers at every turn, with consistency that is hard to match. Renowned across the world by gastronomes, golfers and spa lovers it is a great Scottish brand offering the best of Scottish service and produce. Its heritage is genuine and golf, at its heart, makes it the perfect host to the 2014 Ryder Cup.

With 2014 seeing Scotland host not only the Ryder Cup but also the Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Year of Homecoming, Scotland is a small country but knows how to hold its own on the global stage – it might be a small country but it is a great brand, and a privilege to work with industry and people who are passionate in their desire to promote it.

Creativebrief: When choosing agencies in the past were you ever influenced by awards?

Helen Campbell: Awards are interesting. A signpost to some great strategic delivery or exciting creative. But this does not mean that a winning agency is the right agency to meet your needs. I would always encourage businesses to look beyond Awards, to the people that are winning them. I think the key to the appointment of the right Agency is getting to the heart of its people – the creative, the account handling team and the administrative staff. What relationship do you think they can have with your brand? What makes them tick? What gets them up in the morning? If you believe it could be your brand then this is a good start!

Creativebrief: What challenges do you face, managing day-to-day agency relationships?

Helen Campbell: Collaboration is at the heart of great Agency/Client relationships. A joint vision to get the best result – for both parties. Times are tough for Agencies and Clients alike. Budgets are squeezed. Margins are squeezed and yet Clients still present ever growing targets. Good Agencies will challenge but at the same time drive, motivate and support teams to deliver, making it fun along the way. Agency feedback and regular performance reviews are essential. Ideally if an Agency is prepared to provide honest and constructive Client feedback this too is welcome. Open dialogue is essential for building trust and developing a productive working relationship.

Of late, if anything is a ‘victim’ of the pressurised environment that we find ourselves working in it is ‘time’. Time to go the extra mile, to add the unexpected, the little sprinkling of magic that sets one agency above the other, and makes you believe it really is your brand that makes them tick! There are some fantastically strategic and creative agencies in Scotland, many of whom I have been fortunate to work with. If I had a wish however, it would be to create an extra day in every month during which we Clients and Agencies could switch off from the day to day and think beyond the task at hand. All Gratis of course!

Creativebrief: How do you see the media landscape unfolding in the next 5 years?

Helen Campbell: The media landscape is changing fast, and digital developments in the main are behind this. Media is transportable, we take our media with us in a way that was not possible 5 years ago, and is already impacting significantly on how we target our consumers, how we plan and buy media. Real world interactions can occur 24/7, with an audience who has the potential never to completely switch off or walk away. We are networked like never before. At every moment we have the opportunity to communicate brand messages. The challenge is making sure the technology we have so quickly welcomed into our daily life, so familiar and part of our every day, does not become invisible to us.

Creativebrief: Considering the incredible line-up of eight major make-or-break events for Scottish business and tourism, ranging from 2012’s Year of Creative Scotland and the Olympics in London through to the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and Homecoming in 2014, what does this mean for Scotland?

Helen Campbell: We are in times of unprecedented opportunity for Scotland, not only Scottish tourism but the Scottish economy as a whole. From now until 2014, these ‘winning years’ will see Scotland placed on the global stage like never before, and this will enable Scotland’s largest industry to help lead the Scottish economy out of recession and win real market share against our competition. It presents an opportunity to secure a step change for Scottish tourism and help us bring about the very growth which the industry has been striving to achieve in the face of challenging economic times.

VisitScotland will target its marketing and events expertise on growing tourism opportunities, working hand in hand with the tourism industry. From the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to the Ryder Cup in Perthshire, the eyes of the world will be on these and other top class events, focused on Scotland and what we have to offer. The challenge for us all is about catching the moment, maximising capital investment and securing a legacy that will last well beyond 2014. This truly is an exciting time for all involved in Scottish tourism, there is no better time to be working in this industry!Campbell was associate director at The Marketing Store.