16
May

LET’S PUT ACCESSIBILITY AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO!

Discover the holistic approach to accessibility in this insightful article. Learn why it’s vital to embed accessibility in every aspect of design, marketing, HR, and beyond. Join the movement to make inclusion a core value.

25
Apr

UNION GAINS TOTAL OF 15 NOMINATIONS FOR 2024 STAR AWARDS

The shortlist for the 2024 Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards has been published, and the The Union is delighted to see that it has gained a total of 15 nominations. The Union, and group companies Union Direct and Union Connect, gained 11 nominations for client case studies. Clients nominated included The Scottish Government, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Zero Waste Scotland, schuh, The Data Lab and Scottish Widows. The agency is nominated across 7 categories; Marketing & Planning Insights, Marketing in Society, Brand Experience, Digital Communication, Financial and Professional Services, Public Sector and Retail & Hospitality.

17
Jan

UNION GROUP SECURES SCOTTISHPOWER WIN

Scotland’s largest independent marketing agency group, The Union, has succeeded in winning not one, but two highly competitive pitches, to be named as ScottishPower’s lead creative agency. Responsible for Strategic Advertising, Direct, Data and Digital Marketing, this is a major integrated win for the group, with the work sitting across both The Union and Union Direct arms of the business. The three-year contract will see The Union and Union Direct focus on promoting ScottishPower’s energy products and services to both business and consumer audiences. The appointment will cover strategic planning, data segmentation, customer journey planning, above-the-line advertising, direct and digital marketing. The partnership begins with a UK-wide integrated campaign, spotlighting ScottishPower’s green energy technology products, from EV chargers, heat pumps and solar panels to 100% green tariffs.

15
Dec

BUSINESS STREAM APPOINT UNION DIRECT AS MARKETING AGENCY PARTNER

Business Stream has appointed strategic engagement agency, Union Direct, as their marketing partner following a competitive tender process. Business Stream is one of the UK’s largest water retailers, operating in both Scotland and England’s competitive non-domestic water markets. Headquartered in Edinburgh, the company provides water and waste water services to over 300,000 businesses and has gained external recognition for its commitment to delivering environmental efficiencies both within its own organisation and for its customers. 

27
Oct

BLISS SNACKS OWNER LBV APPOINTS UNION DIRECT TO PROMOTE CRISPY MALLOW RANGE

ightbody Ventures Ltd have appointed creative agency Union Direct to support the launch of their new Bliss Crispy Mallow snack bar range. The Bliss brand offers a range of better-for-you, tasty snack bars, and successfully launched Crispy Mallow UK-wide this summer in a number of retail outlets including Home Bargains and Iceland.  Union Direct, the strategic engagement agency within the Union group of companies, will work on developing a full promotional campaign for the new year featuring social, PR and experiential elements, with sampling events run through its sister agency, Union Connect.  

3
Oct

UNION DIRECT CREATES AI-POWERED PENSION MIRROR FOR SCOTTISH WIDOWS

Harnessing the creative potential of AI, integrated engagement agency Union Direct launched client Scottish Widows’ Pension Engagement Season campaign with a bang this year with their brand new ‘Pension Mirror’ tool. Putting the ‘fun’ into pension funds, the tool is already generating buzz both online and in workplaces up and down the country with its innovative age-guessing technology.With a simple look in the digital mirror at pensionmirror.co.uk, the tool will guess a user’s age with amazing accuracy (or occasionally, comical over- or under-estimation!), before providingthe average pensions savings figure for UK savers of that age. Spurred on by this social proof, Scottish Widows pension scheme members can then download the Scottish Widows app in asimple tap, to check their pot and see how they stack up.

17
Jun

UNION WINS BIG AT 2023 MARKETING STAR AWARDS

The Union won a Gold plus six Silvers at The Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards 2023. The agency was nominated ten times prior to the event, including being shortlisted for Agency of the Year for the 14th year running. Michael Hart, the agency’s Creative Director, was also nominated for Inspiring Agency Leader. Over 30 agencies and companies were shortlisted in the highly competitive event. The awards are judged annually by panels of marketing experts; with the goal of benchmarking the effectiveness of marketing investment. The Union’s winning clients were: Hankey Bannister whisky, South of Scotland Destination Alliance, Transport Scotland, Scottish Government,  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, and Ten Hill Place Hotel. All parts of the Union Group were involved; with entries from The Union, Union Direct and Union Digital.

28
Apr

UNION TOPS NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2023 STAR AWARDS

The Marketing Society Scotland has revealed the shortlist for the 2023 Marketing Star Awards, which is to be held in June this year. The annual awards event is the benchmark for marketing effectiveness in Scotland, with over 30 agencies and clients nominated. The dinner is expected to be attended by over 600 marketing experts from Scotland’s leading brands and businesses as well the nation’s top agencies. Several agencies from the rest of the UK are also named.

7
Nov

COST OF LIVING CRISIS CUTS DEEP IN SCOTLAND

A new ‘Mood of the Nation Report’ published today by The Union has set out to capture how the cost of living crisis is impacting on people living in Scotland. Focused on their feelings, fears, priorities and coping mechanisms, it is a striking snapshot as the nation looks ahead to what will be an incredibly tough winter for many. The study shows biggest shift in Scottish consumer confidence in living memory with nine out of ten Scots seriously concerned by the cost of living crisis. The findings make for sober reading, indicating that perhaps there is a disconnect between the reality of public sentiment and the current consensus amongst legislators, retailers and consumer brands.

18
Sep

UNION CREATES NEW TRAFFIC SCOTLAND WEBSITE

The Union has designed and built a major new website for Government agency Transport Scotland. The new Traffic Scotland website [ https://www.traffic.gov.scot ] is the result of almost three years of work by the agency, working in close collaboration with the client team. The site is the official hub for all data for Scotland’s main trunk road network. The agency’s challenge was to present a vast number of data sets and intelligence to all of Scotland’s road users; every day, on demand, in real time. The whole project was user-led; this required numerous rounds of insight gathering by the agency’s planning team along with extensive rounds of UX research and user testing. The finished site has an incredible array of data on Scotland’s road network; from traffic congestion to live camera views, roadworks, closures, EV charging points, latest incidents, and even the salt treatment on roads for the winter. The site also has a sophisticated route and journey planner.

14
Sep

THE SO WHAT OF DRUPAL 10

It took five years to get from Drupal 8 to 9. By the end of 2022, Drupal 10 will be out, and that’s less than half the time. Why the rush, and what does it mean for people running websites? In summary, this is the start of several end-of-life countdowns.

16
Aug

UNION APPOINTED TO THREE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MARKETING FRAMEWORKS

The Union has been successful in gaining a place on three of the new Scottish Government marketing frameworks, also referred to as the ‘marketing rosters’. The rosters are tendered every four or five years; although this latest framework was delayed a year due to the pandemic. Agencies on the frameworks gain the right to tender for Scottish public sector marketing contracts, but are no guarantee of work. The Union has been appointed to three lots; 1) Creative Services above £50K, 2) Creative Services below £50K, and 3) Digital Marketing Services. Each framework is limited to five or six agencies.

30
Jun

PROMOTIONS AT THE DOUBLE IN THE UNION GROUP

The Union Group is pleased to announce two key new promotions which strengthen the Union’s management team and signal the next generation of leaders for one of Scotland’s top creative agencies. Louise Killough has been promoted to Deputy Managing Director of The Union and simultaneously Emma Campbell is being promoted to Deputy Managing Director of sister agency, Union Direct. (As it happens, Louise and Emma are also sisters. And no ordinary sisters; identical twins, no less.) Previously the Union’s Client Services Director, in her new role Louise will continue to manage client business and oversee the account management function, while also be responsible for the financial performance and overall strategy direction of the agency. She will continue to work closely with other board members: Ian McAteer (Chairman), Michael Hart (Creative Director) and Heather Blair (Finance Director).

28
Jun

UNION WINS TEN STARS AT 2022 MARKETING SOCIETY AWARDS

The Union topped the total number of awards won at the The Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards 2022. Winning a total of ten awards (2 Golds, 2 Silvers and 6 Bronzes) for seven clients, the agency demonstrated the breadth and quality of its creative output at the highly competitive event. The awards are judged by panels of independent experts; they aim to measure effectiveness of marketing investment.

16
Jun

THE GREAT CYCLE OF MEDIOCRITY

Topic-wise, ‘creativity’ must be the most poisoned of chalices. So many great minds have covered this subject in infinite, erudite detail. I could save you all five minutes and just encourage you to watch the late, great Ken Hutchison’s TED Talk on creativity (what, you haven’t seen it?) or devour the works of Naomi Klein, Dave Trott, David Ogilvy et al. That would be my advice. But then again, you’ll soon forget what they say, because creativity’s first problem is our inability to remember its worth. Any nugget of wisdom gleaned from those giants will only reside temporarily in our craniums. We learn and forget, learn and forget. A cycle that continues in perpetuity because conformity, and as a consequence, mediocrity, is our default setting.  

8
Jun

THE BABYLONIANS’ GUIDE TO EDI

The ancient city of Babylon served for nearly two millennia as a centre of civilisation, and we can thank them for the discoveries of the wheel, sailboat and the modern map. Star signs as we know them today also originated in Babylonian astrology, dating back to 2400 BCE. Each sign was named after a constellation the sun moved through while crossing the sky. It seems fitting that during the lead up to the Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards, we look to the stars themselves for guidance, knowledge and insight. Just as the Babylonian’s were thousands of years ago; we at Union are agents of change.

30
May

‘LOVE ME!’ WAIL THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTERS OF INTEGRATED DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS

Flirting with pretension, some marketers describe themselves as storytellers.  Advertisers, professional influencers, PR pros, videographers and SEOs have all said it.  It’s a lofty claim, but is it accurate?  Advertising campaigns must be fantastically creative and compelling but also commercial.  Our work, art, science and efforts push towards a goal, or we must look again at the brief and bill. So, we’re no Mary Shelley, and we’re not publishing anonymously just to get the story told.  After the optimistically hoped TV campaign budget failed to materialise, Shelly never grudgingly made a 15-second social media cut of a novel, and I doubt Shelly thought much about distribution and media channels. But we do make Frankenstein monsters.  Often, that’s tragic, but it does not need to be that way; later on, I’ll quickly discuss some artificial people who found love.

12
Apr

UNION APPOINTS DIGITAL EXPERT TO BOLSTER GROWTH PLANS

The Union has appointed Andrew Girdwood (aka Girdy) as Digital Strategist in their growing digital team. Andrew has over 20 years’ experience in digital marketing, tech innovation and strategy. He has worked in some of top digital agencies such as bigmouthmedia, Digitas, and was previously Head of Media Technology at Leith. The Union has seen significant growth in their digital offering and services over the last 12 months including a continued focus on digital marketing services such as SEO and PPC, and this has been elevated further with Girdy’s appointment.  The Union are seeing clients more and more looking for a full service digital offering; from website design and build, to digital marketing and content strategy, and have been careful to hire the right people to not only help support their growth strategy but to embody their company culture, which is really important to them.

8
Apr

UNION GROUP COMPANIES NOMINATED FOR 23 MARKETING STAR AWARDS

Union Group companies; The Union, Union Direct and Union Data, have been nominated for 23 awards for the upcoming Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards. The awards have been the litmus test for marketing effectiveness and creativity for the last 15 years in Scotland. The Union was named Agency of the Year in 2021; however this year’s 23 nominations is a record for the agency. The nominations are in 13 categories; across a total of ten different clients. The breadth and depth of recognition, even at this stage, reflects both an intensely busy 2021 for the agency but also the wide set of marketing services the agency offers clients.

19
Aug

A RAFT OF NEW BOARD APPOINTMENTS AT THE UNION

The Union has promoted four of its senior management team to the boards of its businesses. This is the first time new Directors have been appointed for many years and represents a planned approach to succession, as well as a careful development the Union Group of businesses. Louise Killough, The Union’s Client Services Director, is appointed to the board of Union Advertising. Louise has been with the agency for over 16 years, and now leads the agency account management team. She also leads on client development and the agency’s financial performance. She has considerable client experience across many sectors, including Scottish Government, Quality Meat Scotland, VisitScotland, Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS), Scottish Enterprise, Reebok, Warburtons and Highland Spring.  Louise also sits on the Marketing Society Scotland committee.

17
Aug

AD MAN OR MAD MAN?

Simon was my creative partner, business partner, dearest friend, confidant and regularly an exasperating bugger. He used to joke that ours was the only relationship he had managed to maintain – Jane called me his ‘second wife’. We met in 1985, I was creative director of Ash Gupta Advertising and he was a copywriter at CDP Marr when we were both involved in D&AD student workshops. Although quite different characters, we immediately hit it off and cemented our friendship over large gin and tonics at the Caledonian Hotel. As fate would have it, we were thrown together at Hall Advertising the following year when I had decided to move to Australia and was invited by Jim Downie to work at Halls whilst waiting for my paperwork to come through. Simon had moved to Halls and was now Jim’s copywriter. The three of us shared an office, but Jim lived in wall-to-wall meetings, so we worked on various jobs together.

16
Aug

THE UNION MAKES A REGAL APPOINTMENT

The Union has appointed Lisa King as Senior Planner in the agency’s Planning Department. Lisa has over 20 years’ experience in branding, customer loyalty, social marketing and behaviour change. Lisa has sought to get under the skin of a diverse range of people: from young knife carriers in Glasgow, to shortbread biscuit eaters and Bollywood film fans. She began her career as a junior account handler for recruitment marketing consultancy TMP Worldwide, before discovering a passion for insight in their in-house research team. Time spent at market research agencies in London and Edinburgh saw her working across many sectors, and included clients such as VisitScotland, Quality Meat Scotland, The Army, the Home Office, NatWest, Scottish Government and Highland Spring.

19
Jun

THE UNION’S 2021 STAR AWARD WINNERS

The agency was named Scotland’s Agency of the Year 2021 at the Marketing Society Star awards based on a strong set of award-winning entries. The Union won four Golds, one Silver and one Bronze at the awards event. Here we summarise the winning entries across four of our clients.

18
Jun

THE UNION IS AGENCY OF THE YEAR 2021

At last night’s Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards The Union was crowned Agency of the Year 2021. This is the fourth time the agency has achieved this recognition, previously winning in 2010, 2015 and 2017. The agency also won three Gold awards, one Silver and one Bronze. An entry for the Scottish Government’s Parent Club marketing won Gold in the Digital Strategy category. Also for the Scottish Government, the campaign to tackle period inequality and discrimination won a Gold in the Marketing in Society category. 

7
Dec

WHAT TEACHING TAUGHT ME

The Union has launched a new campaign for the Scottish Government to encourage new recruits into a teaching career in Scotland. The campaign aims to challenge perceptions of the career and showcase the variety, progression and rewarding moments that a career in teaching can provide.

23
Oct

UNION WIN FOUR MARKETING SOCIETY STAR AWARDS

The Union won four awards at the 2020 Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards last night. The awards recognise the best-in-class marketing campaigns of the previous 12 months. The agency picked up a Gold and a Silver for Scottish Government – Nursing Recruitment, and two Bronze awards; one for Sterling Furniture and the other for the National Libraries of Scotland.

25
Sep

WHY UX IS A VITAL ELEMENT OF SEO

Generally, when most people hear the term ‘SEO’ in passing, they regularly assume there are either a load of hidden technical tricks into turning Google into your best friend, or that it is a skill far too complicated to pick up. However, frequently when I speak to clients about the basic rules of thumb to keep your website in a strong position to rank well, they all share a similar response of “it’s not that complicated”. It really isn’t that complicated. When you boil it down to the main cogs that turn the wheels to help you rank better over time, it simply becomes common sense and gives you another couple of checkboxes to tick when you’re working on your own business.

10
Sep

NEW IDENTITY FOR WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY

The Union has developed a brand for World Suicide Prevention Day for SAMH, Scotland’s mental health charity. SAMH is calling on everyone in Scotland to work together to save lives. Every day in Scotland, an average of two people die by suicide. The 10th of September marks World Suicide Prevention Day, an opportunity to reflect on the role everyone can play in saving lives.

5
Aug

THE SOUTH OF SCOTLAND IS READY FOR BUSINESS

With tourism and hospitality businesses reopening their doors and welcoming back visitors, The Union is thrilled to announce the launch of a new campaign for the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA). The ‘Twinned with Tourism’ campaign aims to promote best practice in safe travel across the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway.

7
Jul

WHAT GOOGLE’S BERT UPDATE MEANS FOR DIGITAL MARKETERS

If you’re a bit of a Google geek you may have stumbled across the term ‘BERT’ being mentioned online since October 2019 in various articles and forums. However, as is often the case with Google algorithm updates, though the basic principles are usually well understood, often digital marketers fail to work out how to respond to make sure their own websites are up to speed whilst taking advantage of the opportunities they present. [Consultant Chris Ayliffe from Arctic Meta writes for Union Digital.]

17
Jun

THE FUTURE OF EVENTS

There’s no escaping that the Covid-19 global pandemic has drastically shifted how we communicate with one another on both a personal and business level. Leading brands are already addressing the challenge head on. This week’s London Fashion Week, is offering a packed virtual programme, replacing catwalks with films, podcasts, live-streamed discussions and even a virtual afterparty. While Fern Cotton’s wellness festival, Happy Place, is a great example of how we can provide a festival feel even from afar, with a whole month of events!

10
Jun

PARTNERSHIP MARKETING IN A TURBULENT WORLD

Partnership Marketing is when two or more organisations, brands or bodies work together to reach their audiences with a message that creates mutually beneficial response. For example, Adidas, the German sportswear giant has set up a number of strategic partnerships to continue to reach its audiences as they change and become more eco-conscious, partnering with Parley for the Ocean to launch a range made from recycled plastic bottles and waste found in the sea.

6
May

NEW CAMPAIGN LETS PARENTS KNOW PARENT CLUB IS THERE FOR THEM

A new campaign for the Scottish Government’s ‘Parent Club’ brand by The Union is addressing the challenges of parenting during lockdown head-on, while reassuring everyone we are all in it together. The ‘Here for You’ campaign captures some of the everyday trials and tribulations facing parents and carers as they juggle the additional pressures of the Coronavirus pandemic. Recognising that the situation is different for everyone, the advert covers a range of scenarios, from trying to balance home-working with learning at home, to keeping kids entertained, fed and enjoying the little moments together.

12
Apr

UNION NOMINATED NINE TIMES FOR 2020 MARKETING STAR AWARDS

The Union has been nominated nine times for the 2020 Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards, the annual celebration of the best marketing work in Scotland. Five Union clients have been selected. The National Library for Scotland, Sterling Furniture, Children’s Hearings Scotland, Scotland Starts Here and The Scottish Government have all been shortlisted by the judges, in a total of than seven categories.

18
Mar

BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL FOR THE UNION

We are The Union. It’s a name that emphasises the power of the collective. If ever there was a time when we need to draw upon one another for support, help and reassurance, it’s surely now. We don’t need to tell you about the very real threat Coronavirus poses to our families, communities and businesses. But we do know that working smarter, working safer and working together will help us overcome it. In keeping with the latest government advice we will, for the safety and wellbeing of our people, clients and suppliers, be implementing a work from home policy with immediate effect. It’s a change that changes very little in our ability to deliver uninterrupted service to our clients. Video conferencing, phone and email communication lines remain open, fluid and flexible for all communications and meetings.

5
Feb

NEW WEBSITE FOR TIMBERBUSH TOURS LAUNCHED

Timberbush Tours, one of Scotland’s longest-running coach and bus tour operators, has launched a new website, designed and built by Union Digital. Edinburgh-based Timberbush Tours, who have been in business for over 20 years, offer a wide range of holiday tours. The tours take visitors around the Scottish Highlands, Scottish Islands and the North of England. Departures are daily from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

4
Feb

NEW CAMPAIGN FOR TRANSPORT SCOTLAND

The Union is delighted to announce the launch of the brand new campaign for Transport Scotland, which went live today. The campaign, ‘Smart Travel’, aims to increase awareness of smartcard interoperability in Scotland. One of the primary campaign objectives is to increase the public’s use of smartcards and other forms of ‘smart’ travel, such as contactless and mobile tickets. The campaign follows the soft launch of the Smart Travel website in November 2019. The Union’s brief was to capture the nation’s attention and raise awareness. The Union created a fully integrated campaign including outdoor, radio, press, digital and experiential marketing in busy train stations across the country.

27
Jan

THERE’S MORE TO CARE THAN CARING

The Scottish Government have launched a national recruitment campaign for Adult Social Care workers, created by The Union. Recruitment pressures for frontline Adult Social Care workers have been rising and vacancies are becoming harder to fill. This campaign aims to raise the profile of a career in Adult Social Care (ASC) and encourage people to apply for a role. The campaign was developed following research with the target audience (aged 22-45, considering a career change) and current workforce employees who suggested that vacancies are difficult to fill due to perceptions of the career.

20
Jan

AN OPEN CONVERSATION ABOUT PERIODS

The Union has created a new groundbreaking campaign for the Scottish Government to challenge the stigma around periods and encourage greater openness and honesty. The integrated campaign is aimed at 16-24 year olds. The ‘Let’s Call Periods, Periods’ advertising shows how, as a society, we use all kinds of different expressions to avoid using the word ‘periods’, which is, after all, a natural bodily function experienced by more than 50% of the population.

15
Jan

SCOTLAND STARTS HERE

The Union has launched a new campaign with Midlothian and Borders Tourism Activation Group (MBTAG) to promote the Scottish Borders and Midlothian as a tourist destination. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the region to international and domestic travellers to increase tourism footfall.

1
Dec

SKYE GIN LAUNCHED IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

The Isle of Skye Brewing Company has launched its first gin, Skye Gin. The new product is distilled and bottled by hand in the small village of Uig on the Isle of Skye. The small batch gin is distilled in a custom-built copper still, nicknamed ‘Flora’ by the company. The Isle of Skye Brewing Company has 25 years of experience brewing award-winning ales, such as Skye red and Skye Gold. The gin took three years planning and research to develop. The botanicals used for the first gin, The Storr, include juniper, rosehip, coriander, sweet peel, black peppercorn, orris root, liquorice root, heather, plus locally sourced wild angelica and meadowsweet. This results in a refreshing and aromatic spirit.

27
Nov

WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?

The Union has launched a new campaign for the Scottish Government to encourage young people to choose a career in healthcare (nursing, midwifery and allied health workers) after a commitment to deliver an extra 2,600 nursing and midwifery training places. The campaign, ‘What did you do today?’, aims to showcase the importance of the roles in healthcare and the variety of opportunities available within the industry.

21
Aug

NEW WEBSITE FOR MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND

Union Digital has launched a new website for the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland. The new site offers an improved visitor experience with enhanced search capability. The Commission was originally set up in 1960 under the Mental Health Act. Its remit is to be “a leading and independent voice in promoting a society where people with mental illness, learning disabilities, dementia, and related conditions are treated fairly, have their rights respected, and have appropriate support to live the life of their choice.”

19
Jun

SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONAL LIBRARY

The Union has produced its first work for the National Library of Scotland, following its appointment earlier in the year after a competitive pitch. The new campaign promotes the Library’s exhibition on the Scottish Enlightenment, ‘Northern Lights’. The work, featuring arresting photography by David Boni, will run OOH and on social channels. The exhibition takes a fresh look at one of the most concentrated periods of intellectual exploration the world has ever seen, a time when polymaths peer-reviewed, challenged and encouraged one another’s work through the many social networks available to them.

14
Jun

UNION SCOOPS SEVEN STARS AT 2019 MARKETING SOCIETY AWARDS

The Union won a total of seven Star Awards at the annual Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards, held in Glasgow on 13th June. The agency won a Gold for Len’s Self Storage in the Retail category and four Silvers – Brand Scotland (Digital Strategy and International Marketing), Loch Ness by Jacobite (Tourism, Leisure and Sport) and Food Standards Scotland (Public Sector), as well as a Silver and Bronze for National Confidential Forum (Marketing in Society and Marketing Planning). The awards resulted in the agency being the second most awarded on the night, out of around 30 agencies nominated. The Union has now won 33 Star Awards in the last four years, demonstrating consistency in delivering highly effective campaigns and quality of output. The agency was also nominated in the Agency of the Year category for the eighth consecutive year, with Louise Killough, Client Services Director nominated in the Inspirational Agency Leader category. Liam Beisty from The Union was nominated for Rising Creative Star and Emily Hall for Rising Agency Star.

30
Apr

ROBUST NEW BUSINESS SUCCESS FOR UNION

2019 has started with Union group companies winning a raft of new accounts, both public and private sector. Late in 2018 and in the first few months of 2019 the agency saw record levels of enquiries, tenders and pitches which has resulted in several key new clients. In the public sector the agency was awarded the Scottish Government’s ‘Smarter Wealthier Fairer’ portfolio of projects, which covers a wide range of important policy areas, from teacher, healthcare and tourism recruitment to new social security benefits, period poverty and Scotland’s Census.

6
Dec

UNION STAFF PARTICIPATE IN WORLDWIDE PARTNERS TALENT EXCHANGE

One of the benefits of The Union’s longstanding membership of Worldwide Partners, our network of more than 70 agencies in 43 countries, is the opportunity for staff to experience working in other agencies and in other countries – to ‘talent exchange’ within the network. In the past staff have travelled as far away as Helsinki and Connecticut, and recently one of our copywriters spent time in San Francisco, California. Christine Stamanti, a copywriter in Union Direct, recently went to Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP) in San Francisco, a highly creative leading independent US ad agency, for a month-long talent exchange.

6
Dec

UNION DIGITAL LAUNCH NEW WEBSITE FOR FOOTBALL AID

Union Digital have created a new website for Football Aid, the charity which raises funds for good causes through organising charity football matches across the UK, Europe and USA. Football Aid has been helping good causes for over 18 years now, through the innovative and creative concept of facilitating fans to ‘live the dream’ of playing in their club colours, at their club’s stadium, coached and supported by legends from their favourite team.

15
Oct

WORLDWIDE PARTNERS HOSTS GLOBAL AGENCY SUMMIT IN LONDON

Worldwide Partners, Inc, (WPI), one of the world’s largest agency networks with more than 65 agency partners in more than 40 countries on five continents, is hosting its Global Agency Summit in London this week for agency partners within their network. The Union will be participating, having been a partner agency since 2000. Michael Hart, the agency’s Creative Director, Gus Chalmers, Managing Director of Union Direct and Daniel Batey, Managing Director of Union Data, will all be in attendance.

25
Sep

IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT

The first piece of advice my first boss at Saatchi & Saatchi London gave me, back in the mid-80s, was that my future value to the agency lay in the quality of my relationships with my clients. Everything else was academic. After 35 years in business, I have long since realised that he was right – there is a brutal simplicity to servicing clients when providing advertising and marketing solutions. I have always remembered his words – the relationships we have with our clients are the defining factor in business success or failure.

24
Sep

KEN DIXON JOINS THE UNION’S LEADERSHIP TEAM AS PLANNING DIRECTOR

The Union has appointed Ken Dixon to head up the agency’s Planning Department. Ken has over 20 years’ experience in brand development, brand architecture, communication and strategy. He has worked in agencies in London, Hong Kong and Edinburgh, ranging from boutique ‘hot-shops’ (such as St Luke’s) to multi-nationals Ogilvy and Leo Burnett. In 2002 he co-founded Newhaven in Edinburgh (after a short spell at The Leith Agency) which went on to win a host of awards for creativity and effectiveness with both public and private sector clients including ABInBev, Iberdrola, HBOS, and The Scottish Government. 

31
Aug

HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND ENGAGE PEOPLE

What is experiential marketing? It’s any form of marketing which targets the senses; be that sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch. An immersive interaction creates (when done well!) a unique experience between the consumer and the brand, in a relevant environment to provoke a positive and memorable impression. These ‘experiences’ can take place anywhere: at events, trade shows, in shopping malls, in the street., at exhibitions, roadshows, or pop-ups. They can be executed to support a sponsorship, a brand launch, a public sector behaviour change campaign or a competition. They often use interactive technology; such as augmented or virtual reality or gamification, to provide even deeper engagement.

26
Jul

GOOD FOR {U}

According to the Office for National Statistics, UK productivity was 15.1 per cent below the average for the rest of the G7 group of advanced economies in 2016. This, alongside the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace evidence of deteriorating national workforce for the past 4 years – calls for action. Productivity has become a nationwide issue now addressed by the Government and HR professionals. Technology and changing attitudes have enabled a more flexible, dynamic workforce – including working remotely, flexible working hours and using our own devices for work.  It has also made for a more connected and transparent world – pushing the emergence of glass box brands. The workforce is changing on the social level too, with people living longer – employers have a challenge of bridging the gap and creating engagement between a multi-generational workforce. Change is constant, but it does present multiple opportunities for employers to grow their business, by focusing on their biggest asset – THEIR STAFF.

28
Jun

ARTIFICIAL PARADISE: THE INTERIOR DECORATION OF OUR REALITY

Picture this. You’re at a music festival. Your favourite band is playing. You’re among the raucous hedonists with flowers in their hair. However, there is one difference. You’re the only person who isn’t simultaneously raving and recording the whole thing on your phone and uploading it to Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook while it is taking place. This phenomenon has become our new normal. More and more people interrupt living their actual lives to construct a utopian online identity. And by doing so, they let this fantasy world supersede really living the experience.

22
Jun

UNION ENJOYS STELLAR EVENING AT STAR AWARDS

The Union team enjoyed a great evening at the 2018 Marketing Society Star Awards, held at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh. The awards is the equivalent of the Scottish marketing community’s Oscars – with over 500 guests attending from across a wide range of the agency and client companies. We were delighted to pick up six awards on the evening. Our entries for Scottish Government (Parent Club) and Historic Environment Scotland won Gold, whilst these clients also picked up Silvers, with another Silver going to Sterling Furniture. A Bronze was awarded to Union Direct for Scottish Widows. Three other entries were nominated: for Food Standards Scotland and Police Scotland.

30
May

THE PERPLEXING WORLD OF THE TENDER

I found myself ruminating on the dark art of pitching and tenders today, particularly as the latter is becoming the norm. In a pitch you have three things to focus on: story, content and chemistry. That’s not to say it’s an easy thing to master but a clear narrative and a solid idea presented by likeable people is a pretty good foundation to land (or keep) an account. If you win you get all the gushing reasons why. Lose and you’ll be informed by phone or email that you were a close second – they don’t want to hurt your feelings. Dig a little deeper and you may uncover the reasons for your failure. And you need to learn from those reasons because sometimes you can trick yourself into believing the decision has nothing to do with you. 

24
May

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DATA

When we formed Union Data a little over six months ago we had a simple goal: to drive more effective marketing for our clients by unleashing the creative power of data for the common good. An approach we call data sharpening. There couldn’t have been a better time. Client demand was high and data is a hot topic. In part because of the imminent arrival of GDPR but also because of the genuine opportunities opening up to us by the constant advances in tech. Then it happened. The Cambridge Analytica scandal. And in a moment the conversation turned from talking about the power of data to trying to work out if data was the devil.

30
Apr

THE POWER OF MARKETING TO CHANGE THE WORLD

How advertising is helping fight bias and make the world a more accepting (and sassier) place. Laura Jones, Senior Account Manager at The Union, muses on hidden biases and how uplifting it is that advertising has grown from contributing to them, to smashing them.

25
Apr

KYLE HARDIE – OBITUARY

Kyle Hardie
7 March 1971 – 16th April 2018

Devoted husband and father, marketing agency founder and leader.

Kyle Hardie, Managing Director of The Union Advertising Agency, and founder and Managing Director of sales promotion agency Union Connect, passed away after a brave fight with cancer having achieved success in the industry he loved. The tragedy is that, at only 47 years old, he had so much more still to achieve.

29
Mar

INTEGRATION. AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME.

Marketing folk love buzzwords. The rise of digital channels has accelerated this trend. Hip new acronyms and fads are all the rage. ‘Customer experience’ meets ‘omnichannel’, whilst ‘behavioural economics’ crosses ‘360 degree’ thinking. So forgive me, but I’m digging up an old, and rather tired, buzzword from 20 years ago: ‘Integration’.  Or ‘integrated marketing communications’ to be more precise. It’s much less fashionable these days, but finally, after years of being an idea preached more than it was practised, its day has finally come.

28
Feb

MARKETING AUTOMATION: CUTTING-EDGE OR JUST PLAIN CREEPY?

It’s likely you’ve already seen at least one over-enthusiastic salesperson at a roadshow or expo by now, gesticulating wildly about the easy wins to be had with marketing automation. Call it personalisation, ‘hyper’ segmentation, or ‘marketing to an audience of one’, but in the simplest sense, marketing automation is just using purpose-built platforms to give you extra insights about your customers and make automated decisions based on those insights.

31
Jan

DOES THE SIZE OF YOUR AGENCY MATTER?

Union Creative Director, Michael Hart, muses on the importance (or not) of the size of a creative agency and what scale does and doesn’t offer clients.

Small is beautiful. Big is reliable. No-one got fired for hiring IBM. We’re all familiar with the maxims. In the communications world the small, fleet-of-foot startups sit in one corner while the big guns squat in the other. The small players will say they have smaller overheads, less bureaucracy, quicker reaction times. The big ones counter with scale, experience, dependability.

29
Nov

EMOTIONAL ADVERTSING IS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

At best, marketers have a reputation as practitioners of an imprecise science. At worst, we’re accused of making it up as we go along. In advertising we are particularly known for backing our instincts. Gut feeling will always have a role to play, but evidence-based marketing continues to grow in importance. EffWeek, the IPA’s annual conference on marketing effectiveness, is built around measuring and understanding marketing success. In Planning at The Union, we geek out over data, but the real benefit lies in helping brands spend their money more efficiently. This year’s conference brought the usual treasure trove of insights, but perhaps the most interesting was around the power of appealing to emotion.

17
Nov

UNION DATA LAUNCHED TO MEET GROWING CLIENT DEMAND

Due to client demand for more data services the Union Group has decided to set up a new company focussed on more effective use of marketing data and providing technical data solutions. The new business will be called Union Data, and be based at The Union’s main offices in Edinburgh. Daniel Batey is the Managing Director role of the new Union company. Daniel was the Head of Data Planning at Union Direct for the last seven years and he was also Head of Analytics with Paragon Customer Communications in London. Ian McAteer will be Chairman and Gus Chalmers, MD of Union Direct, will join the new company’s board.

16
Oct

HOW CAN BRANDS TAP INTO THE WORLD OF THE LUMBERSEXUAL?

Lumbersexuals – a hybrid of lumberjack and metrosexual (think thirty-something chap in checked shirt with carefully groomed beard) are all around. We believe that the ‘lumberjack’ part of the hipster phenomenon taps into a kind of malaise – or anomie – brought about by alienation from the means of production (Marx). Hardly any of us actually make anything tangible at work any more – no loaves, candles or carriage wheels. Avoiding physical toil and perspiration used to be seen as an achievement, but that’s changed.

12
Sep

WORLDWIDE PARTNERS HOST GLOBAL AGENCY SUMMIT IN PARIS

Worldwide Partners, Inc, (WPI), one of the world’s largest agency networks with more than 60 agency partners in 40 countries on five continents, is hosting a Global Summit in Paris September 17 through 19 for agency partners in their network. The Union will be attending. The agency has been a shareholder in the network since 2000 and hosted the EMEA Meeting in Edinburgh last year.

13
Jun

HUGH BURKITT ON UNION’S AGENCY OF YEAR ACCOLADE

Hugh Burkitt, Global Ambassador and former CEO of the Marketing Society, explains why The Union was named Star Agency of the Year at last week’s Marketing Star Awards in Glasgow. The Union won 5 Golds, 4 Silvers and 5 Bronzes at the awards, which was attended by over 500 industry professionals. The agency last won the Agency of the Year accolade in 2015.

12
Jun

UNION NAMED 2017 AGENCY OF THE YEAR

The Union has been named 2017 Star Agency of the Year at the Marketing Society Star Awards in Scotland. The agency, together with sister agency Union Direct, collected 4 Golds, 5 Silvers and 4 Bronzes on the awards night. The event was held at the SWG3 venue in Glasgow, a gathering of over 500 marketing people, both agency and clients. Scottish comedian Susan Calman was the host for the evening.

13
Apr

UNION AND UNION DIRECT SHORTLISTED FOR 2017 STAR AWARDS

Nominations for the 2017 Marketing Star Awards have been released and The Union, together with sister company Union Direct, have been nominated a staggering 19 times in total, the highest number of nominations for any agency. The awards, run by the Marketing Society, are Scotland’s premier marketing event, recognising marketing effectiveness across numerous categories.

7
Apr

McEWAN’S CONNECTS WITH LOYAL EXPORT DRINKERS

Union Connect have been working with the lovely people at The McEwan’s Beer Company to develop an on-pack promotion that rewards loyal McEwan’s Export drinkers. Export devotees will have the chance to win a Limited Edition McEwan’s T-shirt by inputting a unique code online. The promotion will feature on more than 400,000 promotional packs of McEwan’s Export in major stockists such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco. McEwan’s Export is the UK’s No.2 selling premium canned ale.

6
Apr

NEW PROSTATE SCOTLAND WEBSITE LAUNCHED

As part of prostate cancer awareness month Prostate Scotland, has launched a new website to provide information about prostate cancer and disease, its symptoms and treatments. The website, designed and built by Union Digital, (www.prostatescotland.org.uk) provides a wealth of information for people with prostate disease as well as prostate cancer, is aimed at men and their families.

27
Mar

UNPRECEDENTED HISTORY BUG GRIPS SCOTLAND

Doctors in Scotland are at a loss to explain the outbreak of a bug that’s spreading rapidly across the country and affecting thousands. Celebrated TTNN news anchor Casey Kaplinksi, who broke the story, said: “I’ve covered Watergate, Reagan’s inauguration and the moon landing but the History Bug is possibly the biggest story of them all.”

The source of the bug has been traced to over 70 sites across Scotland – all owned and managed by Historic Scotland. The experts there are calling it THE HISTORY BUG and are encouraging people to see the symptoms at getthebug.scot or report it using the hashtag #getthebug.

24
Mar

UNION CONNECT HELPS ‘CHANGE OUR FUTURE’

Union Connect is back on the road with its thought-provoking field and partnership campaign for Food Standards Scotland (FSS), the public sector food body for Scotland. The ‘Lets Change Our Future’ campaign aims to address the forecasted 40% of adults in Scotland that could be obese by 2030 by encouraging people to reduce the number of unhealthy snacks they eat.

21
Mar

GONGS GALORE AT 2017 TRAVEL MARKETING AWARDS

The Union has been awarded at the prestigious 2017 Travel Marketing Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The agency won three awards for work on VisitScotland’s global advertising and marketing account. A Bronze was awarded for Best Use of Video, and another Bronze for Best Use of Content, plus the Gold for Integrated Campaign of the Year (over £1m spend).

9
Feb

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION THROUGH STEM

Union Connect have created a dual field and partnership campaign for the Scottish Government to increase the number of people considering a career in teaching STEM subjects in Scottish high schools. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are crucial to Scotland’s future economic prosperity, yet many potential applicants perceive a lack of available jobs, or that alternative career options are more attractive. Yet teaching STEM subjects can be inspiring and rewarding for both teacher and pupil.

18
Oct

UNION WELCOMES WORLDWIDE PARTNER AGENCIES TO EDINBURGH

The Union in Edinburgh is hosting the 2016 EMEA Worldwide Partners Inc. (WPI) regional agency meeting this week. 40 delegates from independent partner agencies in Europe, Middle East and Africa will gather in the capital city for three days of conference time. Delegates will hear from speakers including Paul Bainsfair, Director General of the IPA, Charles Smith, Director of Marketing at VisitScotland, Pippa Goodman of the Future Foundation and Dan Southern of Contagious Communications.

14
Oct

UNION TOPS 2016 SCOTTISH CREATIVE AWARDS

The Union has topped the table at the 2016 Scottish Creative Awards, held in Glasgow this month. The agency won seven Awards and seven Commendations at the annual event which celebrates the best in Scottish advertising, design, digital communications and marketing.

1
Sep

UNION LEAD NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2016 SCOTTISH CREATIVE AWARDS

The Union is delighted to hear that the agency has been nominated no less than 27 times in 20 categories for the upcoming 2016 Scottish Creative Awards. Numerous Union clients are nominated, some several times.

4
Aug

NEW WEBSITE FOR CALEDONIAN BREWERY LAUNCHES

The Union’s new website for Caledonian Brewery has just launched in conjunction with their sponsorship of the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Building on the brewery’s ‘Adventure Awaits’ platform, also developed by The Union, the new site showcases the breweries range of beers and their incredible story.

10
Jun

STARRY NIGHT FOR THE UNION AT MARKETING AWARDS

The Union enjoyed another good night at the 2016 Marketing Star Awards, held at a dinner in Edinburgh last night. Over 550 guests gathered for the premier event in the Scottish marketing calendar. The Union won a Gold, four Silvers and two Bronze awards across a number of clients.

16
May

UNION LEADS THE WAY WITH 15 STAR NOMINATIONS

The Union has secured 15 nominations for the 2016 Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards. Categories nominated in include Brand Development, Integrated Marketing, Marketing Planning (x2), Digital Strategy, Advertising (x2), Cause Related & Charity, Public Sector (x3), Tourism Leisure & Sport (x2) and Retail.

10
Feb

VISITSCOTLAND LAUNCHES FIRST EVER GLOBAL CAMPAIGN

VisitScotland, Scotland’s national tourism organisation, today launches its first-ever global communications campaign, through Edinburgh agency The Union. ‘Scotland. A spirit of its own’, will promote Scotland across key markets including the UK, Canada, the US, France, Germany, and Australia.

10
Feb

EUAN AULD AND PAUL McDONALD PROMOTED TO DEPUTY CREATIVE DIRECTORS

The Union is delighted to announce the promotion of Euan Auld and Paul McDonald to Joint Deputy Creative Directors of the agency. Euan and Paul have produced some of The Union’s best work in the last 6 years. Their creativity in the last 12 months for the global VisitScotland campaign in particular has demonstrated a maturity that cements their position as one of the top creative forces in Scotland.

9
Feb

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER FOR PROJECTSCOTLAND

ProjectScotland, the youth volunteering charity, celebrated its 10th birthday last week at a Birthday Fundraising Dinner held at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh. Almost 250 guests gathered and helped raised over £30,000 on the night.

3
Feb

WORLDWIDE CANCER RESEARCH LAUNCHES TV CAMPAIGN

The Union’s new campaign for Worldwide Cancer Research has just launched. The campaign for the St Andrews based charity highlights the ‘lost’ research that the charity is unable to fund in its drive to fight the disease.

9
Oct

UNION TOP AT 2015 SCOTTISH CREATIVE AWARDS

The Union won 11 awards, including the Grand Prix, at the 2015 Scottish Creative Awards. The agency topped the awards haul yet again.

30
Jun

UNION NAMED AGENCY OF THE YEAR 2015 AT MARKETING AWARDS

The Union was delighted to be named The Marketing Society Scotland’s ‘Agency of the Year 2015’ at the Marketing Star Awards. The award was made at a packed dinner in Glasgow, with around 500 industry guests present.

20
May

UNION APPOINTED BY VISITSCOTLAND FOR GLOBAL BRAND BRIEF

We’re delighted to report that VisitScotland has appointed The Union for a new global brand brief. It’s the first time a single creative approach for all markets has been adopted. The campaign will promote Scotland as a tourism destination to all VisitScotland’s key markets, which includes the UK, Europe and USA, The new brief is to create a single unifying proposition and creative idea to exploit the creative opportunities on and offline, in paid for, and earned media channels.

2
Feb

NEW SCOTCH BEEF CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED BY QMS

BBC Masterchef: The Professionals winner Jamie Scott today launched a new campaign to promote Scotch Beef PGI – recently named Scotland’s favourite food. Jamie, joined staff at The Macallan distillery in Speyside to raise a glass of one of world’s most iconic Scotch whiskies to the success of the campaign, which aims to very clearly differentiate Scotch Beef.

9
Jan

NEW TV CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE FINANCIAL HEALTH SERVICE

The Union’s new TV ad for the Scottish Government’s Scottish Financial Health Service has just launched. The service is a new online portal that provides a gateway to financial help and advice to people living in Scotland. A website where users can access the information and support they need, no matter their financial issues.

10
Dec

NEW SMOKE ALARM AD TAKES THE BREATH AWAY

Our new social media campaign for The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service encourages people to get a smoke alarm this winter. With over 5000 house fires a year in Scotland, the need is as great as ever.

20
Nov

PLACE2BE FILM PREMIERED AT KENSINGTON PALACE EVENT

The Union’s new film for leading schools mental health charity Place2Be was premiered last night at Kensington Palace with the Duchess of Cambridge in attendance.

15
Oct

UNION SWEEPS THE BOARD AT SCOTTISH CREATIVE AWARDS

The Union were crowned top creative agency in Scotland at the 2014 Scottish Creative Awards at the annual event in Glasgow. Winning 11 awards for a range of clients, together with 3 commendations, the agency was recognised for creative excellence across several marketing disciplines.

24
Sep

UNION SPARTANS COMPETE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR PROJECT SCOTLAND

A team from The Union competed in the Spartans Race in Edinburgh last weekend, raising over £3,500 for the ProjectScotland charity – which helps young Scots get on in life. Tony, Doug, Lindsay, Michelle, Graham and Ian ran through rivers, threw javelins, crawled under barbed wire, lifted boulders and jumped through fire for a good cause. Well done team!

23
Dec

UNION’S LIVE YOU TUBE CHRISTMAS BROADCAST

The Union Group screened a live performance of “Merry Christmas Everyone” to wish all clients, suppliers and friends the very best for 2013 Christmas and 2014 New Year. The performance followed weeks of planning and choir practice, as well as hire of snow-machines and various special props.

8
Aug

UNION DIRECT LAUNCH VISITSCOTLAND CRM CAMPAIGN

Union Direct’s CRM campaign for VisitScotland has just been launched. It promotes the range of things to see and do in Scotland this coming autumn and winter.

5
Feb

HARDIE AND HART PROMOTED IN UNION MANAGEMENT SHUFFLE

The Union has announced that Kyle Hardie has been promoted to the role of managing director and Ian McAteer, who has held the role of MD since 1996, becomes chairman of the agency.

The move follows Hardie’s promotion to the agency’s board of directors in 2011 and at that time taking on the role of deputy managing director. As MD he will be responsible for day-to-day running of the business as well as heading up the agency’s account management team and leading on some of the agency’s key clients.

24
Jan

UNION REVEALS REBRANDING WORK FOR FOUNDATION SCOTLAND

Foundation Scotland, formerly The Scottish Community Foundation, has worked with The Union on a rebrand project, including a new name and visual identity. As well as the new identity the Foundation has also introduced a new strapline – ‘Where philanthropy meets community’ – in order to clarify the depth and breadth of the Foundation’s work.

8
Nov

UNION CONNECT HELP WEIR GROUP AT ADIPEC EXHIBITION IN ABU DHABI

Union Connect, the sales promotion and field marketing arm of The Union, have designed and built the sales stand for leading Scottish pump and valve business Weir Group in Abu Dhabi at the recent ADIPEC Exhibition.

24
Oct

NEW HAYES AND JARVIS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

The Union’s new work for the luxury travel agent Hayes & Jarvis has just been launched. Press ads, outdoor, tube cards, digital posters and radio ads will all promote a range of luxury 5-star breaks, with partner airline Emirates. The campaign focuses on how breaks can be tailor-made for customers’ individual choices.

8
Oct

UNION CONNECT PICK UP STAR PUBS & BARS BRIEF

Union Connect has just helped with the rebranding and launch of the old Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company. The new ‘Star Pubs & Bars’ website and trade advertising has been created by Union Connect and Union Digital.

22
Jul

VLADIVAR LAUNCH NEW FLAVOUR RANGE THROUGH UNION

The Union has helped develop four new flavoured vodkas for Whyte & Mackay owned Vladivar. The Apple & Pear and Raspberry & Vanilla variants are currently available in selected Tesco stores. The new packaging and all promotions were designed by The Union. All Vladi excellent.

11
Apr

UNION APPOINTED BY PRINCIPAL HAYLEY HOTELS

Hotel and venue chain Principal Hayley has moved its marketing services and digital account out of The Whole Caboodle, and The Union in Leeds has been appointed as new creative and digital agency.

8
Dec

BUSINESS STREAM APPOINTS UNION DIRECT

Business Stream, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scottish Water, has appoints Union Direct to handle all its direct marketing requirements. Union Direct has been asked to build engagement with the business audience in Scotland together with any appropriate internal communications associated with this work.

8
Oct

UNION SWEEPS BOARD AT 2011 CREATIVE AWARDS

The Union had a great night at the 2011 Scottish Creative Awards, winning 10 awards and 3 commendations to round off a great evening for the agency.

8
Jul

UNION LAUNCHES NEW SUMMER SALE TV FOR STERLING FURNITURE

The Union launched a new TV commercial for Sterling Furniture, Scotland’s biggest independent furniture retailer, with stores all over Scotland.

9
Oct

THE UNION HELPS LAUNCH £100,000 DALMORE MALT WHISKY

The first bottle of whisky in the world to break the six figure price barrier was revealed today by The Dalmore distillery, which has sold two bottles for £100,000 each. With packaging designed by The Union, The Dalmore 64 year-old Trinitas was acquired by a luxury whisky lover in the US and a renowned whisky investor in the UK.

15
May

UNION NAMED AGENCY OF THE YEAR AT THE MARKETING SOCIETY

The Union was named Agency of the Year at the 2010 Marketing Society Scotland Excellence Awards. The award rounded off a successful evening for the agency, winning three Golds, four Silvers and two Bronze awards. Winning papers were for a wide range of clients, including Scottish Government, Historic Scotland, VisitScotland and Energy Saving Trust. The Union’s paper for Organ Donation won the Gold award in the Advertising Excellence category.

1
Apr

UNION RETAINS TOP BILLINGS SLOT IN SCOTLAND FOR FOURTH YEAR

Campaign Magazine’s analysis of advertising spend in 2009, researched by Neilsen, has shown that The Union has retained its No.1 position in Scotland for the fourth year in a row, with advertising billings of £18.4 million.

18
Mar

UNION DIRECT AND VISITSCOTLAND TRIUMPH AT THE TRAVEL MARKETING AWARDS

Union Direct have won a prestigious UK Travel Marketing Award in London this week. The awards, organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, celebrate the effectiveness of marketing in the travel and tourism sector each year. Union Direct won the Direct Marketing category for its work on VisitScotland; for the ‘Winter White’ promotion.

3
Mar

HISTORIC SCOTLAND LAUNCHES MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE MEMBERSHIPS

Following the success of its 2009 ‘Make Your Own History’ marketing campaign – which resulted in membership levels reaching an all-time high – Historic Scotland is launching its latest major drive to encourage Scots to make the most of their country’s rich heritage.

7
Dec

NEW AZENDI CAMPAIGN BY UNION LEEDS

The Union in Leeds has created an new national poster campaign for the national jewellery retailer Azendi. The posters will appear across key UK cities to support Azendi’s retail outlets, in the run up to the busy Christmas period.

2
Aug

THE UNION RE-APPOINTED TO HANDLE ORGAN DONATION ADVERTISING

The Scottish Government has reappointed The Union to handle its Organ Donation advertising. The Scottish Government has set a target to double the amount of registered organ donors in Scotland in the next five years. The Union has worked on the campaign for the last three years, producing the award-winning ‘Kill Jill’ campaign which secured an IPA Effectiveness Gold.

25
May

UNION HOST WORLDWIDE PARTNERS MEETING IN EDINBURGH

The Union hosted the second-largest World Meeting gathering for Worldwide Partners in Edinburgh recently. Beginning with a cocktail reception on Sunday, May 17, 2009, the meeting kicked off on May 18th with an enthusiastic welcome from Scottish Cabinet Secreatry Kenny MacAskill.

14
Feb

UNION CONNECT ROLL OUT ‘THE RIDERZ’ FOR CYCLING SCOTLAND

Union Connect has developed a field marketing and experiential concept for Cycling Scotland – creating a group of stunt cyclists, the ‘Riderz’, to visit Scottish primary schools encouraging young children to cycle to school.

2
Dec

UNION CREATES TV SPOT AS PART OF SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT’S CAMPAIGN TO HELP TACKLE DEBT

The Union has just completed a TV commercial as part of the Scottish Government’s push to promote the National Debtline (0808 808 4000) which is designed to help Scots facing debt problems in the current financial downturn. The 30 second TV ad features the ‘Debt Monster’ a creature that gets larger and larger when ignored, reaching terrifying proportions. However when faced the ‘Debt Monster’ is faced, it becomes smaller and more manageable. The commercial ends with the advice to call the National Debtline for help and advice. The campaign will be supported by online advertising, a website and leaflets in key outlets.

2
Dec

UNION CREATE NEW TV AD FOR HOMECOMING SCOTLAND

The Union has created a new 60 second TV spot for Homecoming Scotland 2009, the nation-wide tourism event planned for 2009. Homecoming Scotland will feature over 200 events throughout the year, aimed at both the international tourism market and domestic Scots.

27
Oct

UNION NAMED SCOTTISH AGENCY OF THE YEAR 2008

At Friday night’s annual Scottish Advertising Awards, the ‘Oscars’ for Scottish advertising, The Union were crowned ‘Agency of the Year’ for the second time in three years. The agency also picked up 10 awards and 5 commendations in an evening with strong competition from several agencies. The Union’s awards were won for work on a selection of clients including Scottish Government, Historic Scotland, Road Safety Scotland, ASH Yorkshire and Project Scotland.

30
May

HARD LABOUR FOR UNION DIRECTORS LINDSAY AND McATEER

For many years the Union Directors have insisted to their staff that trips to the annual Worldwide Partners world conferences are necessary for international business development and are extremely hard work. Given that the destinations for such conferences have included places like San Francisco, Costa Rica, Cape Town and Milan, such assertions have naturally been met with a considerable degree of cynicism and suspicion. However photographic evidence from a recent trip may have changed this.

7
May

THE UNION IS SMOTHERED WITH ROSES AWARDS

The Union took pole position at the 2008 Roses Awards, the Manchester-based advertising competition for UK regional agencies. By winning 7 Golds, 4 Silvers and 1 Bronze, together with the Chairman’s Award and the Client of the Year, the agency dominated proceedings on the evening and demonstrated an unmatched depth and breadth of creative output.

1
Mar

UNION RETAINS ‘No.1 IN SCOTLAND’ CROWN

Edinburgh-based The Union retained its No.1 in Scotland crown for the second year running, billing over £16 million, up 9% on 2006. Ian McAteer, Group Chairman of The Union said: “It’s perhaps unexpected to see growth in the Scottish market, but it is great news for the industry. The fact we were able to grow in 2007 was also great news – it was down to the hard work of everyone here. It took us ten years to reach the top spot – the difficulty will now be staying there – as the competition in this market is as tough as anywhere.”

5
Jun

GUS CHALMERS TAKES THE HELM AT UNION DIRECT

Union Direct have announced changes to their management team. Daniel Clare, who has been with the agency for over two years, has resigned to pursue new challenges in consultancy. Gus Chalmers, Client Services Director of the agency, has been promoted to Managing Director with immediate effect.

14
May

UNION GROUP EXPANDS WITH LAUNCH OF UNION CONNECT

The Union has launched a new agency specialising in sales promotion and field marketing. Called Union Connect, the agency will be led by Kyle Hardie, who joins from Blue-Chip Marketing in Edinburgh. Previously Managing Director at Blue-Chip, Kyle is joined by Blue-Chip’s Account Director, Claire Prentice. Kyle will become a Board Director and take day-to-day responsibility for running the agency. Union Directors Ian McAteer, Andrew Lindsay and Mark Reid will also sit on the board of the new agency. Union Connect will be based at the Union’s Edinburgh offices in Inverleith.

3
May

UNION LEEDS REVEALS NEW WORK FOR SAVE DARFUR COALITION

The Union (Leeds) has revealed its latest ad in the campaign aiming to raise awareness of and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. This new ad, for the Save Darfur Coalition, is another hard-hitting piece, appearing in international quality press, timed to coincide with the NATO meeting in Oslo.

28
Mar

UNION REVEALS NEW BRAND FOR SEYCHELLES TOURISM

After a 12 month branding and design consultancy, The Union can reveal the new identity and advertising for Seychelles tourism. The new brand was launched in Berlin at the ITB this month. The Union was appointed in February 2006 to create a new brand positioning and identity for the Seychelles Tourism Board, the Government department responsible for tourism promotion and development.

24
Feb

UNION DIRECT WINS BEST MARKETING INITIATIVE AT THE 2007 SCOTTISH LEGAL AWARDS

Union Direct’s “Formidable but Friendly” marketing campaign for Anderson Strathern won Marketing Initiative of the Year at the 2007 Scottish Legal Awards held at the EICC on the 23rd February 2007.

22
Feb

UNION REACHES THE TOP

After 10 years in business, The Union has reached the top of the Campaign billings league in Scotland, ousting the Leith Agency from pole position. Campaign’s figures, published annually, are the industry measure for above-the-line billings, according to an independent audit by Nielsen Media Research. This news follows an excellent 2006 for The Union when the agency was named Scotland’s Agency of the Year.

7
Feb

THE UNION RETAINS THE HISTORIC SCOTLAND ACCOUNT

The Union has retained the sought after Historic Scotland advertising account after a tender on the Scottish Executive roster. The Union has created award-winning work for the body, which looks after Scotland’s built heritage, including Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.

20
Oct

UNION WINS AGENCY OF THE YEAR

The Union has been given the accolade of Agency of the Year at the 2006 Scottish Advertising Awards. The awards, which rank the best advertising, direct and digital work in Scotland each year, were announced at a dinner in Edinburgh last week, attended by over 400 people from the marketing communications industry.

7
Oct

NEW TV COMMERCIAL FOR UNIVERSITY OF TEESSIDE

The Union in Leeds has launched a new TV ad for the University of Teesside, to encourage student recruitment. Clive Goldstein, Managing Director of The Union in Leeds, said: “We look forward to seeing some positive results from this latest phase of our work.

7
Aug

UNION CELEBRATES 10th BIRTHDAY

The Union celebrated its 10th anniversary in business with a party. Held at the agency’s offices in Inverleith Terrace, 250 guests enjoyed an evening of entertainment and food, as the offices were converted into a nightclub for the event.

7
Feb

NEW CAMPAIGN FOR CAREERS SCOTLAND

The Union has created a new campaign for Careers Scotland, the public body tasked with helping people get back into work. The TV advertising breaks on STV, Channel 4 and Five this week.

8
May

UNION LAUNCHES THROUGH-THE-LINE CAMPAIGN FOR PROJECT SCOTLAND

The Union Group has developed a 360° marketing campaign for Project Scotland, a new volunteering brand for young people. Project Scotland offers young people totally new full-time volunteering experiences and provides an allowance to enable them to get involved. The new organisation acts as a portal through which young people will access hundreds of opportunities to make real changes in their communities and elsewhere in Scotland.

5
May

BIGGART BAILLIE SOLICITORS APPOINT THE UNION AND MEDIA SHOP FOR CAMPAIGN

Biggart Baillie, one of the leading Scottish legal firms, has appointed The Union and The Media Shop to handle their advertising. The appointments follow a comprehensive pitch process. Biggart Baillie has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and is widely recognised as being one of the most progressive and forward-thinking legal firms in Scotland. With a blue-chip client list, and massive growth in the last few years, the firm is developing a bold advertising campaign to help build further on its success.

3
May

UNION WINS A BOUQUET OF ROSES

The Union has consolidated its position as the UK’s leading regional creative agency at the Roses Advertising awards in Manchester last night. In total the agency won 13 awards, including 6 golds. The Union’s total haul means it tops the table out of over 20 Scottish and English agencies.

1
May

UNION WINS TWO MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARDS FOR QUALITY MEAT SCOTLAND

The Union picked up two prestigious new awards at the inaugural Marketing Excellence Awards 2005. The agency entered two papers on behalf of Quality Meat Scotland, the organisation responsible for marketing Scotch meat products in the UK. The Scotch Pork campaign won a Strategic Excellence award for Best Customer Insight, beating 5 other finalists.

4
Apr

UNION USES PINT-SIZED JOCKEY TO ADVERTISE JOHN SMITH’S SPONSORSHIP OF THE GRAND NATIONAL

The Union created a new piece of trade adverting to highlight John Smith’s sponsorship of the John Smith’s Grand National. The event is the UK’s largest single sporting event, and the deal is further evidence of S&N UK’s commitment to the UK’s number one ale.

6
Nov

A FRESH APPROACH FROM BAXTERS

As part of the £1.5m marketing spend for Baxters new range of Fresh Soups, The Union has created a new 20″ television ad. The commercial first aired on 7 November and will continue throughout December, the key soup selling months.

2
Nov

UNION EVOKES GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL FOR SCOTTISH & NEWCASTLE INTERNATIONAL

The Union has launched a new global press and direct marketing campaign for Scottish & Newcastle International. Briefed earlier this year to develop a campaign to increase the profile of S&N in the international travel retail arena, The Union has created a series of iconic images that mimic the timeless travel posters of the 1920s and 30s.

1
Aug

THE UNION AND NU MEDIA SECURE PLACE ON SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE ROSTER

The Union has been successful in securing its place on the Scottish Executive creative agency roster after a major contract review by the Scottish Executive. For the first time, a creative agency roster will handle the advertising requirements of Historic Scotland, NHS24, Quality Meat Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Executive and VisitScotland.

2
Apr

THE UNION GRADUATES WITH UNIVERSITY OF TEESSIDE

The Union in Leeds has been appointed as The University of Teesside’s advertising agency, to handle all student recruitment ad campaigns, after a five-way pitch against other leading Northern agencies. Jane Card, the University’s Marketing Manager, said, “We were very impressed by The Union’s understanding of the issues and how that translated to the outstanding creative work they presented.”

1
Dec

UNION SUCCESS AT EPICA AWARDS

The Union has scooped two awards at this year’s Epica Awards, the prestigious awards scheme which judges the cream of European advertising. The international panel of judges picked two of The Union’s campaigns for special praise. The Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade “Are you dead?” was a Finalist in the Public Services category, coming 8th out of 148 print campaigns entered.

2
Oct

UNION TRIUMPHS AT SCOTTISH ADVERTISING AWARDS

The Union was crowned Scotland’s most creative agency at the 2003 Scottish Advertising Awards this month. Scooping 9 Awards and 7 Commendations The Union topped the awards table for the third time in four years. The Union’s work for Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, the National Galleries of Scotland, the charity Human Writes and The Scottish IPA won the lion’s share of the awards.

1
Oct

£6 MILLION OF NEW BUSINESS WINS GIVE UNION CONFIDENCE IN FUTURE

The Union Advertising Agency in Edinburgh welcomes a series of new client wins which will substantially reduce the effects of the impending departure of the £8 million Intelligent Finance account. The Union, which has over the last three years become Scotland’s most creative advertising agency, and scooped five Scottish IPA Effectiveness Awards this year, has recently won several substantial new assignments from a range of clients. These are worth in excess of £6 million in billings and include work from Scottish Executive, Sterling Furniture Group, Whyte & Mackay and James Hardie (a US building products company).

7
Dec

ASA REJECTS OLYMPIAN ADVERTISING COMPLAINT

The ASA has rejected several complaints raised objections to advertising by Olympian Pine Furniture in Glasgow, claiming that posters caused widespread and serious offence. The posters, created by The Union, featured leather sofas and invited Vegans to ”look away now”.

7
Oct

UNION IS NO.1 AGAIN

The Union reclaimed the title of Scotland’s most creative agency for the second time, after topping the creative league in 2000. The Union won 10 awards and 3 commendations at the annual Scottish Advertising Awards.

4
Oct

UNION MOVES INTO A NEW HOME

The Union has moved from its offices in Rodney Street, where it has been based since 1997. The agency has purchased new offices in Inverleith Terrace – a church building previously owned by the Church of Scotland. The new offices will be filled with over 60 staff from The Union, plus the direct marketing and internet divisions of the business.

3
Aug

UNION WINS ROSTER SPOT WITH SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

The Union has won a coveted place on The Scottish Executive’s advertising agency roster. It will now be one of three agencies working across a range of the Executive’s campaigns. The communication department at The Scottish Executive is responsible for many high profile and challenging campaigns such as Domestic Abuse, Drug Awareness, Alcohol Abuse, Road Safety, Flu Immunization and Organ Donation.

12
Jun

UNION REVEAL NEW ANTI-AGEISM CAMPAIGN

The Union has developed a high profile advertising campaign for Lothian Health Board using favourable images of older people with the objective of encouraging a more positive attitude from the younger generation. The campaign features a 60 second cinema commercial based on the highly commended Sony Playstation ‘Double Life’ TV ad.

1
May

UNION’S WORK FOR BAXTERS SCOOPS THREE AWARDS

The Union’s press campaign for Baxter’s fresh soup won top honours at The UK Roses in Manchester this month. The campaign won Best Consumer Press Campaign, Best Consumer Press Advertisement and Best National Press Advertisement. The Union also picked up three awards for its work on Fife Council (Best Radio Campaign), s1homes.com (Best Regional Press Advertisement) and Stortext (Best Business-to Business Direct Mail).

1
Oct

SCOTS HUNK TO BEEF UP MEAT SALES

The Union have produced two new TV commercials for Specially Selected Scotch Beef. The Scottish farming industry has had a torrid time over recent months and the new campaign aims to restore faith in Scottish meat, highlighting the outstanding quality standards which the Specially Selected assurance scheme represent. The humorous ads feature “Glen”, a strapping, healthy, kilted Scotsman representing Specially Selected Scotch as he strides through his beautiful, natural Scottish Highland environment.

7
Sep

UNION RETAINS SEACAT ACCOUNT

As part of an agency rationalisation, parent company Sea Containers put both the SeaCat and Isle of Man Steam Packet advertising accounts out to review. The Union as incumbent on the SeaCat business has been successful and consequently will now run the Isle of Man Steam Packet business.

7
Jul

IPA EFFECTIVENESS AWARDS SUCCESS

The Union picked up four awards at the 2001 Scottish IPA Effectiveness Awards, winning for Baxters, ScotRail, Miller Homes and Ardbeg Malt whisky.

2
Jun

UNION LAUNCHES IN LEEDS

The Union will be opening a new agency in Leeds within the next few months. The agency will be headed by Clive Goldstein who is currently Head of Advertising and an Associate Partner at Poulter Partners, Yorkshire’s biggest agency. He is responsible for all advertising clients including Redrow Homes, Jeyes, Meadowhall and Wm. Morrison Supermarkets.

1
Jun

UNION APPOINTED BY SEYCHELLES TOURISM AUTHORITY

The Union have been appointed to help the Seychelles with their tourism marketing in major European markets: Germany, France, Italy and the UK. The brief will cover advertising and travel agent programmes. A team from the agency recently returned from a familiarisation trip and are now busy implementing the first of several projects.

7
May

TOYS COME ALIVE IN NEW VELUX TV AD

The new TV campaign for Velux, the world leading roof window brand, has been aired in the UK. Created by The Union, the campaign will run across Europe. The ad features a set of toys that come to life in a dusty old attic, and provide the inspiration for a loft conversion.

1
Jan

UNION SECURES THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND ACCOUNT

The Union has secured The National Galleries of Scotland’s advertising account. The account includes The National Gallery of Scotland, The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the Dean Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The first work undertaken by The Union will be a cross media campaign for the world’s first exhibition of Rembrandt’s Women.

1
Dec

INTELLIGENT FINANCE LAUNCHES IF.COM

Intelligent Finance completed its launch when its website, www.if.com, went live on 30 November 2000. This new telenet service means customers now have the choice of conducting all their banking over e-mail, telephone and internet, whilst being able to access balance information on WAP mobiles.

2
Nov

UNION DEVELOPS SMG’S NEW INTERNET BUSINESS

SMG’s new internet business, s1, has appointed The Union following a three-way pitch to develop the launch campaigns for s1 brands. The s1 range of websites will target internet users in Scotland. First to launch will be s1jobs, a recruitment website, with a multi-media campaign scheduled to commence January 2001.

7
Oct

UNION JOINS WORLDWIDE NETWORK

The Union has been accepted to join the world’s largest independent network of agencies, Worldwide Partners, Inc. The network has offices in over 50 countries and includes high profile agencies such as Kirshenbaum & Bond in New York and Grant/Jacoby Inc. in Chicago.

6
Oct

THE UNION TOPS SCOTTISH CREATIVE LEAGUE

The Union Advertising Agency triumphed at the 2000 Scottish Advertising Awards. The agency won a total of 12 awards and 10 commendations at the event, which is the measure of advertising creativity in Scotland. Several of The Union’s campaigns were recognised, including work for ScotRail, Lothian Health, local Edinburgh furniture store Olympian Pine, and delicatessen Di Placido.

1
Jan

UNION LAUNCHES DIRECT MARKETING AGENCY

The Union founding Directors have launched a new direct marketing agency – called ‘Only U’. The new agency launches having won the significant Intelligent Finance direct marketing account.

1
Dec

UNION LANDS £15m HALIFAX BANK BRIEF

Halifax has handed the £15 million launch of its internet and telephone banking arm, Greenfield, to The Union. Jim Spowart, the Managing Director of Greenfield, said: “This is a very exciting but demanding project. It is clear that the Union has the depth of experience and creative flair to deliver.”

7
Nov

ST ANDREWS BAY HOTEL APPOINTS UNION FOR MARKETING

The Union has been appointed to handle the brand identity development and launch marketing for the new St Andrews Bay Hotel. The new hotel will be built with two new golf courses to the south of St Andrews, and form a luxury new conference and holiday destination for the region.

13
Jun

STANDARD LIFE BANK LAUNCHES FREESTYLE MORTGAGE WITH TV CAMPAIGN

The Union has developed a new TV and press campaign to promote Standard Life Bank’s new flexible mortgage product, the Freestyle Mortgage. The new mortgage allows overpayments, payment holidays and has no hidden charges.

13
Oct

BAXTERS APPOINTS UNION TO ADVERTISING ACCOUNT

The Union has been appointed to handle the Baxters Soup account after a creative shoot-out against the biggest agency in the UK, AMV-BBDO. The premium soup business is still family owned an run from its base in Fochabers in Speyside.

13
Aug

STANDARD LIFE HIRES UNION FOR TELEPHONE BANK LAUNCH

In a competitive pitch The Union has won the Standard Life Bank advertising account. Standard Life, the leading European life insurer, will be launching a new telephone bank, offering attractive savings rates and flexible mortgages.

1
Mar

THE UNION OPENS FOR BUSINESS

The Union Advertising Agency was launched today in Edinburgh. The business is founded and backed by three former Faulds Advertising Directors, Joint Creative Directors Andrew Lindsay and Simon Scott, and Client Services Director Ian McAteer. The three leave the agency with immediate effect and have opened offices in 1 St Colme Street, Edinburgh.