VisitScotland launches biggest-ever worldwide campaign

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- VisitScotland has today launched its biggest ever global marketing campaign, working alongside Disney-Pixar and their much-anticipated epic action adventure "Brave" to reach millions of potential visitors across the world.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120619/NY26967 )

The campaign will showcase every corner of Scotland through a new TV and cinema advertisement, a new website and extensive marketing and events activity in countries ranging from the US and UK to France and Germany. The TV and cinema campaign will reach around 80 million people in the UK and abroad and is expected to boost the Scottish economy by around 140m pounds Sterling.

The campaign will see the airing of VisitScotland's first TV advertisement in North America for ten years - thanks to a major funding boost by the Scottish Government. The timing of the campaign is crucial, with this market showing encouraging signs of recovery. The number of American visitors increased by 15% last year and it is Scotland's biggest overseas market, with more than 400,000 visitors spending 311m pounds Sterling every year.

UK audiences will also be treated to the new advertisement in cinemas and TV in a special UK version which will launch when the film opens in August.

The new 30-second advertisement, which is voiced by Neil Oliver, will be broadcast on some of the world's largest networks and in cinemas before the film, taking creative inspiration from the theme "Scotland. Where legends come to life."     

The advertisement will be translated into four languages: French, Spanish, German and Italian, and will showcase the drama and spirit of Scotland through its landscapes and natural environment.

VisitScotland and Disney have worked together on the advertisement to showcase the country that inspired the filmmakers with images from the film interwoven with real life scenes from Scotland. World-famous Scottish landmarks such as the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, Castle Kilchurn on Loch Awe and Eilean Donan Castle feature in the advertisement. Carradale-born Piper Lorne MacDougall plays on the advertisement - as he does on the soundtrack of the film.

Other marketing activity will feature every part of Scotland based on six key themes, including ancient Scotland, myths and legends, castles, landscapes and forests, clans and culture and wildlife and nature. VisitScotland is working with more than 20 partners across Scotland - from Historic Scotland to Scottish Archery - to further promote the country.

As part of the new campaign there will also be a worldwide prize-draw to win a luxurious four-day trip to Scotland, which will encourage viewers to visit the new VisitScotland devoted website www.visitscotland.com/brave. The Library of Scotland website is designed to inspire, inform and convert web visitors into visitors to Scotland.  This will be complemented by activity on Facebook and Twitter.

The launch of the campaign coincides with the world premiere of the film, which took place yesterday evening (June 18) at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard where Scotland natives Kelly Macdonald, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson walked the Highlands green carpet.  VisitScotland's marketing team has played an integral role in ensuring that the magic of the real Scotland was captured.

Alex Salmond, First Minister, commented: "Tourism is worth 11bn pounds Sterling to Scotland, employs 270,000 people and is one of the industries bucking the economic downturn - with visitor figures increasing by 9% last year.  The fact that we are seeing growth in visitor numbers from America means that this couldn't be a better time to promote Scotland in conjunction with the largest entertainment company in the world.  Not only will this have a significant short-term impact, there is a legacy for the future with families being inspired to come to Scotland for years to come."

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: "The launch of the new advert represents a pivotal moment in our campaign with Disney. With the advert going live coast to coast, the hard-work can really begin by converting moviegoers and fans of "Brave" into visitors to Scotland. This is one of the biggest opportunities we have ever had and "Brave" will be shown in 72 countries across the world. The film is about changing your fate and I believe it will change the fate of Scottish tourism in a significant and positive way."

VisitScotland and Disney officially joined forces in March to jointly promote the film and the destination across the world, marking the first time Disney has worked with a country's tourism organization on such a scale.

Set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, Disney-Pixar's "Brave" follows the heroic journey of Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to change her fate, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane), unleashing chaos in the kingdom. When she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters), she is granted an ill-fated wish and the ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her resources — including her mischievous triplet brothers — to undo a beastly curse and discover the meaning of true bravery.

Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, "Brave" is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humour. The film takes aim at UK cinemas in August 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select cinemas.

"Brave" is rated PG by the MPAA. For more information about "Brave," visit Disney.com/Brave, like us on Facebook, facebook.com/PixarBrave, and follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/disneypixar.

To view the international VisitScotland advertisement on YouTube, go to www.youtube.com/visitscotland

SOURCE VisitScotland