What a Night in Edinburgh
Over 500 of Scotland's marketing community came together at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on 18 June for The Marketing Society Star Awards 2026. Thank you to our Strategic Partners Essence Mediacom Scotland, Jack Ryan and Suntory Global Spirits, and to our supporters Caorunn Gin, Williams Brothers Brewing Company and Scottish Water.
Hosted with brilliant energy by TV and Podcast Host Gordon Smart, the evening's theme was Look Up: a call for our community to look beyond the day-to-day and write the case studies that prove what great marketing can do.
A Fitting Send-Off for Graeme Atha
The night held a very special moment as Graeme Atha, Director for Scotland at The Marketing Society, who is retiring after 25 remarkable years, was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sophie Devonshire and Hugh Burkitt led the tributes, reflecting on Graeme's contribution to Scotland's marketing community - the relationships built, the talent championed, and the Star Awards themselves, which have flourished under his stewardship. Speaking on behalf of everyone who has worked with him, Sophie told the room:
"What you have given will not be forgotten. What you have created will not be lost. And you - you definitely will not be forgotten."
Sophie Devonshire
It was a fitting reminder of just how much one person's dedication can shape an entire industry.
A Night of Big Winners
Leith was the night's standout performer, taking home Star Agency of the Year alongside three Gold awards, including International Marketing for "Scotland's Universities Unite for Growth" and a double Gold for the Scottish Government's "The Inconvenient Truth About School Attendance." Lane also had an exceptional evening, picking up three Golds, including Advertising for "Full Cream Ahead with Mackie's." Sunshine the Social Agency won Digital First and Drink for Glenmorangie's "Once Upon a Time In Scotland." Other multiple Gold winners included Bright Signals, Guy & Co and Union Group.
Champions of the Profession
FreeAgent was named Star Marketing Team of the Year, Jenny Emslie of Sunshine the Social Agency received Inspirational Agency Leader of the Year, and Lindsay Montgomery of Lloyds Banking Group was crowned Inspirational Marketing Leader of the Year. The night also celebrated rising talent, including Bound to Bloom from Johnstone High School and Joy Fallon of the University of Glasgow, named Star Marketing Student.
A charity raffle in aid of Business Beats Cancer helped Cancer Research UK on its way to raising £1M this year. Congratulations to everyone who entered, the winners and the highly commended and of course to Graeme, thank you for 25 incredible years. Scotland's marketing community has every reason to be proud.
The full winner list can be found on the Star Awards website.
And the gold winners are....
Read the case studies that are currently available
Brand Experience
Edinburgh Zoo Giant Lanterns by Union Group, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
Edinburgh Zoo's quiet winter months threatened footfall and income. Giant Lanterns reimagined the zoo after dark as an immersive, non-Christmas-coded underwater light trail, backed by phased, audience-led marketing across four months. Result: record-breaking admissions, surpassing all previous highs, with strong non-member reach, lapsed-visitor reactivation, and high advocacy scores.
Design, Creativity and Craft
Know The Warning Signs by Lane, Myeloma UK
Myeloma UK needed to raise awareness of a little-known blood cancer despite a limited budget. By harnessing authentic patient stories and striking, symptom-led creative, the campaign maximised reach and engagement. It increased awareness, drove record website visits and symptom guide downloads, generated national media coverage, and sparked political recognition.
Advertising
Full Cream Ahead with Mackie's by Lane, Mackie's of Scotland
Mackie’s needed to stand out in a crowded ice cream market by proving its genuine cream credentials against larger competitors. Full Cream Ahead transformed a product truth into a distinctive creative platform, supported by precision media targeting. The campaign strengthened brand perceptions, increased awareness, recruited new shoppers and secured wider retail distribution.
Digital First
Once Upon a Time In Scotland by Sunshine The Social Agency, Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie needed to build cultural relevance without resorting to loud, celebrity-driven luxury marketing. Sunshine took Joel Edgerton and Justin O'Shea's cinematic "Once Upon a Time in Scotland" film starring Harrison Ford and built a social-first, episodic content system around it—turning the campaign into a weekly "show" across YouTube, Instagram and Facebook that drove sustained engagement, cultural buzz, and strengthened the brand's luxury credentials.
Financial and Professional Services
Own It with ESPC by Studio LR, ESPC
ESPC, East Central Scotland's trusted property portal, needed to win over first-time buyers who lacked confidence rather than information. StudioLR's "Own It" campaign repositioned ESPC from listings provider to empowering partner, using bold creative and an "On the Move" media strategy to reach buyers throughout their daily routines—lifting awareness, consideration, and sign-ups among this key audience.
Small Budget, Big Impact
Know The Warning Signs by Lane, Myeloma UK
Myeloma UK needed to raise awareness of a little-known blood cancer despite a limited budget. By harnessing authentic patient stories and striking, symptom-led creative, the campaign maximised reach and engagement. It increased awareness, drove record website visits and symptom guide downloads, generated national media coverage, and sparked political recognition.
Integrated Marketing
"Bish Bash Bentos" by Guy & Co, Fray Bentos
Fray Bentos needed to reverse declining relevance and reconnect with both loyal customers and younger audiences. The Bish Bash Bentos integrated campaign used humour, cultural authenticity and a credible ambassador to celebrate the brand’s British identity. It revitalised brand engagement, increased consumer penetration, and returned the brand to sustainable growth.
PR
Laphroaig x Willem Dafoe, Suntory Global Spirits
Laphroaig had strong brand love but lagging awareness. The "Unphorgettable" campaign partnered with cultural icon Willem Dafoe—blending his persona with the whisky's distinctive, hard-to-describe taste—through a multi-phase PR rollout (seed, launch, sustain). Results: 697 media pieces, 4.5bn opportunities-to-see, sharp awareness gains across UK/US/Germany, and outperformance versus peated competitors.
Leisure & Lifestyle
Every Journey Starts a Story by Stand, CalMac
Facing reputational pressure, Caledonian MacBrayne needed to shift perception from transport operator to island experience champion. Building on year one, Stand expanded "Every journey starts a story" through authentic user-generated content across paid and organic social, inspiring real travellers to share their island adventures—driving stronger brand knowledge, reputation, and leisure ticket sales than ever before.
Drink
Once Upon a Time In Scotland by Sunshine The Social Agency, Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie needed to build cultural relevance without resorting to loud, celebrity-driven luxury marketing. Sunshine took Joel Edgerton and Justin O'Shea's cinematic "Once Upon a Time in Scotland" film starring Harrison Ford and built a social-first, episodic content system around it—turning the campaign into a weekly "show" across YouTube, Instagram and Facebook that drove sustained engagement, cultural buzz, and strengthened the brand's luxury credentials.
Food
"Bish Bash Bentos" by Guy & Co, Fray Bentos
Fray Bentos needed to reverse declining relevance and reconnect with both loyal customers and younger audiences. The Bish Bash Bentos integrated campaign used humour, cultural authenticity and a credible ambassador to celebrate the brand’s British identity. It revitalised brand engagement, increased consumer penetration, and returned the brand to sustainable growth.
AI, Automation & Emerging Tech
Tackling Pensions Apathy: AI Meets Vanity by Union Group, Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds tackled pension apathy by reimagining Scottish Widows' Pension Mirror into "Pension Reflection," using AI age-guessing to hook a disengaged audience through vanity, then revealing ONS savings benchmarks to prompt action. A playful social-first campaign on Meta and TikTok drove strong engagement, converting cold prospects into warm consideration for Lloyds' pension products.
