Creativebrief Founder & Chairman Tom Holmes talks to Iain Valentine, Creative Director of Whitespace
Iain Valentine, Whitespace
Iain is co-owner and Creative Director at Whitespace, an award winning digital design agency based in Edinburgh.
With over 15 years’ design and digital experience, Iain has a wealth of experience in creating highly engaging and effective online campaigns. Winner of Design Consultancy of the Year and Creative MD of the year at the 2010 Scottish Design Awards and a Member of the Marketing Society Council.
Current Clients include Highland Spring, Tennents Lager, The Scottish Government, Sainsbury’s Bank, RBS, International Beverages and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
TH: What does the Edinburgh brand stand for?
IV: Edinburgh is a desirable place to live, work and visit, we are on a par with some of the best cities in the world and that’s why to me it stands for home.
TH: How do you think Edinburgh should position itself?
IV: A centre for creativity, innovation and enterprise.
TH: Are the city’s brand values reflected in your own agency culture?
IV: Absolutely yes, we are literally living the brand!
TH: Does being based in Edinburgh influence your creative output? If so, how?
IV: Our creative output is defined by the clients we take on, and given the close relationships we have with our clients, it’s no surprise many are within easy reach. We have had the privilege of working on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe campaign for the last 4 years – the worlds largest arts festival.
TH: What makes your agency offer different?
IV: Our people and our breadth of skills and services – we are Whitespacers.
TH: Why should clients consider sourcing work from Edinburgh agencies?
IV: Clients should consider sourcing work from the best agency, fit and chemistry is more important than location. So look for the best ideas, a proven track record and a trail of happy clients. Did we mention Edinburgh was great for a night out?
TH: What sort of clients do you want to attract?
IV: You need a good client as well as a good agency to produce challenging and effective work. We want to attract clients who know what they want to achieve, are willing to have an open and honest discussion and with the ability to think a bit differently.
TH: What work have you done recently makes you really proud?
IV: Our Social media work for Tennents, the Creative campaign for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Melville’s Craft Lager, and our Sainsbury’s Bank cross channel marketing.
TH: What Scottish brands do you most admire and why?
IV: Love Tennents, Highland Spring, Innis and Gunn, The Macallan, The Fringe – who we have had the pleasure of working with already.
The Edrington Group have an enviable range of brands and a well deserved reputation for great marketing talent. Shand is a new up and coming Scottish cycling brand with real potential. The Homeless World cup is a brilliant Scottish concept doing great work on a world wide scale.
TH: What business would you most like to win?
IV: Seriously… How long have you got?
TH: Thanks Iain.
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