Prestigious industry award win for CalMac

Advertising campaigns launched to raise awareness of CalMac and to attract passengers have landed top industry awards for its marketing team.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Oct 2020, 08:54 BST
Not only did the ferry company win gold, but they also took a bronze award at the annula marketing event.Not only did the ferry company win gold, but they also took a bronze award at the annula marketing event.
Not only did the ferry company win gold, but they also took a bronze award at the annula marketing event.

The UK’s largest ferry operator won gold for “Every Journey Tells a Story” and bronze for “#SeeUistSoon” at the Marketing Society Star Awards 2020 virtual ceremony last week.

Welcoming the awards, CalMac Head of Marketing Andrew MacNair said: “We are absolutely delighted with this recognition, I am really happy that the team’s hard work has been recognised by the marketing industry.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Using video and attractive imagery combined with storytelling really helps us to promote the beauty of the destinations throughout the network.

“These campaigns are fantastic examples of the fact that CalMac is extremely committed to supporting local communities, and we look forward to working with them on future campaigns.”

Graeme Atha, Director of the Marketing Society, added: “The Star Awards have been developed in line with the Marketing Society Scotland vision to help build a vibrant marketing community renowned for enlightened thinking, innovation and creativity.

With over 100 judges involved we also believe we have a very robust and transparent evaluation process in place.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To make one of the shortlists is a significant achievement and to win a Star Award is a real cause for celebration.

“We are delighted that Calmac, as one of the fabric brands in Scotland, won Bronze in the PR category and Gold in the Tourism category – especially in one of the most challenging years for the industry.”

Working with the Frame agency, CalMac’s marketing team created Every Journey Tells a Story to promote its ability to help passengers take adventures and create special memories.

It brought to life people’s real stories about embarking on a journey by sea and the emotion connected to the locations it serves.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The campaign achieved the highest increase in web visits to date, the highest ever social media reach of 2.5 million, and the biggest year-on-year ticket sales.

CalMac worked closely with Outer Hebrides Tourism and Clarion Communications to design and launch #SeeUistSoon in a bid to attract visitors to the Uists.

The campaign included an Instagram-friendly map which detailed the best locations for taking images.

The maps showed the best photography opportunities, as well as the best traditional sights. Island residents were encouraged to identify the most ‘Instagram-able’ spots and proceeds from the map sales went to the RNLI.

Related topics:CalMac