Press release -
Music to woo tourists by
Scotland’s national tourism organisation has joined with Scotland’s national symphony orchestra to create an evocative new soundtrack to inspire visitors across the world to put Scotland on their holiday wish list.
The classical score, created by Scottish-based composer Giles Lamb will form the backbone of a new marketing campaign and direction for VisitScotland, due to be unveiled in early 2016.
Involving over 50 musicians, the piece was the very first to be recorded at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s (RSNO) new concert hall in Glasgow and is the first time the two organisations have collaborated in this way.
VisitScotland’s current theme tune has been used in TV and radio campaigns for fourteen years, with a sound that has captured the imagination of visitors from across the world, as well as being instantly recognisable as the ‘sound of home’ to many Scots.
It is hoped the new music will create an emotive reaction, giving ‘goosebumps’ to all who hear it and, along with stunning visuals, inspire potential visitors to see Scotland in a new light.
Giles Lamb has scored numerous high profile projects with music featured on feature films, television and video games. However, creating a new sound for advertising Scotland to the world was one of his biggest challenges to date. Giles said:
“You would think that translating the beauty of Scotland into music would be an easy task – the landscapes and magic in the air is unquestionable - but to create a score which captured all the elements of our fine country in just 60 seconds was a challenge indeed!
“From the beautiful stormy skies over the mountains in the Highlands to the soft rolling peaceful landscapes of the Scottish Borders, we had to make sure we were capturing it all and I hope the finished piece does just that! It was truly an honour to be asked to create this score and I can’t wait for the world to hear it!”
The new music will be used in global VisitScotland TV and radio advertising campaigns from February 2016, alongside breathtaking new footage created by director Ben Craig.
Helen Campbell, Head of Global Brand and Marketing Communications at
VisitScotland said:
“The brief was simple. We wanted to create goosebumps! We were looking for a score that stirs something deep inside everyone who hears it - a melody that creates an emotive reaction and really captures the heart and soul of Scotland.
“Giles’ piece is breathtaking, and alongside the innovative filming we have undertaken for this new campaign, I have no doubt that many will be lost in the moment and inspired to visit the country to feel that extraordinary Scottish spirit for themselves. It is a pleasure to work with the RSNO and Giles, and we look forward to revealing our new look and feel to the world in 2016.”
Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the RSNO became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950, and was awarded Royal Patronage in 1977. Throughout its history the Orchestra has played an integral part in Scotland’s musical life, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. It also has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its recordings, receiving two Diapason d’Or de l’année awards for Symphonic Music and eight GRAMMY Awards nominations over the last decade. Over 200 RSNO releases are currently available.
Last month the RSNO relocated to its new, purpose-built facility in Glasgow’s City Centre. The new RSNO Centre features a bespoke rehearsal and recording space, education and learning facilities and a valuable recital venue, providing a key addition to the country’s cultural venues.
RSNO Chief Executive Krishna Thiagarajan:
“As the first notes were played by the Orchestra during our first recording session in the new home it became apparent that this was an historic moment. It’s fitting then, as the RSNO broadens its horizons, that this new VisitScotland campaign with this recording of Giles’ evocative music will be used across the world to promote Scotland; its beauty, diversity and cultural wealth.”
VisitScotland will unveil a new marketing campaign in early 2016. Be the first to know about it by signing up to the newsletter www.visitscotland.com/newsletter
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- international marketing
- uk & ireland marketing
- content marketing
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
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- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Food and Drink 2015- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
