Burt Greener Communications is one of Scotland's most dynamic PR companies. Our talented team is the force behind some of the biggest brands, brightest businesses and eventful events. With over fifteen years' experience, we have a reputation as an agency that delivers: winning ideas, dedicated service and results.
Case Studies
BRUzil: Road to 2034
With Scotland once again failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, the nation’s favourite soft drink hatched a plan. This revolutionary idea encouraged Brazilians and Scots to ‘mix it up’ for the sake of Scotland’s footballing gene pool. What better than a dash of Brazilian DNA to create a world-beating Scotland side for the future!
Our Campaign
Burt Greener’s task was simple: to make this the most talked about football campaign of the summer, at a time when discussion of the global game was already at saturation point in the media. Our PR strategy aimed to have impact from the start. We kicked off with a daring ‘spoof’ press conference, which turned from serious sports announcement to fun ‘BRUzilian’ carnival led by Scotland hero Archie Gemmill – to the surprise of 30 assembled reporters and photographers. The story was splashed across news and sports pages in the days that followed, with one tabloid journalist securing a trip to Rio with the IRN-BRU team to witness a range of PR stunts unfold in the Brazilian capital, resulting in a series of major media spreads for the brand. Campaign fame was built through further news, sports and broadcast media placement.
Old Pulteney:
Row to the Pole
In 2010 Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky signed up for its most ambitious sponsorship initiative to date. This global first would see Jock and his five man crew battle the polar elements in a specially adapted ice boat, ‘The Old Pulteney’, with their trip highlighting the impact of global warming in the region.
Our Campaign
Burt Greener was tasked with devising and managing the sponsorship strategy, and delivering a creative and broad-reaching tactical campaign to appeal to a range of target markets, from whisky aficionados to budding adventurers. This included a media launch, a spectacular boat unveiling on the ice rink at London’s Natural History Museum, and a unique competition for one winner to secure a coveted place on the expedition team – named Old Pulteney ‘Pole Position’. As entries flooded in for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we managed a series of heats before revealing a winner at the London Boat Show in 2011.
Unveiling the story of Hugh Tennent
2010 was Tennent’s Lager’s 125th anniversary year, and the nation’s favourite pint wanted to celebrate the roots of the brand with a reinterpretation of the remarkable tale of its founder, the bold Hugh Tennent, whose epic adventures brought lager to Scotland…
Our Campaign
Our response took Tennent’s into new PR territory. A teaser campaign saw a new ‘H’ logo (for Hugh of course!) cropping up in mysterious places around Scotland, driven by social media and online buzz; we then gathered 100 of Scotland’s most influential journalists, broadcasters, bloggers and tweeters to Glasgow’s Grosvenor Cinema for a very modern ‘premiere’ with a Victorian twist – complete with top hats, penny farthings and perfectly chilled Tennent’s in specially designed ‘H’ glasses.
Campaign longevity was secured with an array of media features re-telling the great story of Tennent’s through the ages – with a special briefing for Glasgow’s taxi drivers to ensure that the whole city was talking about the man of the moment, Hugh Tennent.
nairn’s Natural Woman: The Big Dunk
In 2010 nairn’s tasked Burt Greener with raising the profile of its range of oat biscuits, highlighting the health benefits and great taste to a largely female audience. The UK-wide campaign had to reflect the ‘natural’ aspect of the biscuits – at the very core of the nairn’s brand – plus bring a fresh level of talkability to the product story.
Our Campaign
Our response was to devise nairn’s Natural Woman, a campaign encouraging women across the country to try out a range of natural and healthy options across diet, beauty and exercise. Teaming up with female health and wellbeing ambassadors, nairn’s offered women a range of opportunities to sample naturally healthy activities, such as the nairn’s ‘natural spa’ retreat which welcomed 30 competition winners. We worked closely with Kate Rew, founder of the UK Outdoor Swimming Society, to organise the nairn’s Natural Woman ‘Big Dunk’. This outdoor plunge to celebrate the first day of Spring saw over 50 women (and some brave men!) ‘dunking’ into the freezing waters of Scotland’s Firth of Forth. A high profile broadcast on Sky News was secured, plus fun picture-led coverage hitting a wide range of digital and print media. Download the full press release
Our Campaign
Working with a panel of credible judges including Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and the Herald newspaper group, we selected 20 of Glasgow’s most distinctively stylish people, all of whom had a special memory or experience to tell of the centre – with 1 space left over for a public vote.
From established celebrities such as Kirsty Wark to under-the-radar style-setters such as Niall Walker of the Arches and popster Manda Rin, a beautiful portrait photograph of each ‘icon’ was taken in a different area of Princes Square for a resulting photography exhibition.
A 21st birthday party was the final part of the celebration, hosted by Janice Forsyth and with a performance from rising indie stars Pearl and the Puppets, all in honour of Princes Square and its 21 icons.
Client News
Full Article
Britain’s gin drinkers can pay tribute to the Queen’s Jubilee this summer by sipping on a new Caorunn cocktail – Jubilee & Tea. Created by innovative cocktail catering company, 10 Dollar Shake, to mark the already much anticipated Royal celebration of 2012, the stately cocktail will be launched at this weekend’s Scottish Wedding Show in Glasgow.
Designed to commemorate the Queen’s sixty year reign, Jubilee & Tea incorporates ingredients and flavours from around the Commonwealth – Caorunn Scottish gin, English tonic water (with Indian botanicals), Kenyan tea and kumquats from Hong Kong. A series of Jubilee & Tea serving demonstrations and sampling will run throughout the two day show to help get visitors in the mood for a regal party.
Full Article
Scots who proudly put the defining characteristics of their home cities into words for a new Tennent’s Lager campaign will get a first glimpse of their quotes – as they are emblazoned on pint glasses in pubs across the country.
In a first for the nation’s favourite lager, six bespoke pint glass designs have been created to celebrate the culture, pride, passion and humour of each of Scotland’s cities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh – with words contributed entirely by consumers.
Glasgow’s party atmosphere, subway and cone-headed monument all feature on its glass, while Hogmanay, salt and sauce and magical streets are revealed for Edinburgh. Further north, highlights include the gleaming granite and Doric dialect of Aberdeen, while Inverness’ midnight curfew, Highland charm and fifteen minute rush hour are given a special mention. Dundee’s design references the city’s famous pies and bridge while Stirling’s legendary history, monuments and modern pubs are celebrated.
Download the full press release
Full Article
Marking the start of the festive season, Santa’s reindeers will take a majestic stroll down Buchanan Street and welcome everyone into Princes Square on Thursday 10th November. On the same evening the enhanced interior will be lit up magically as thousands of twinkling Christmas lights are switched on. Back by popular demand, the decorations are designed exclusively by leading designer, James Glancy, whose mesmerising creations have adorned iconic locations such as London’s Carnaby Street. In the heart of the space will be the breathtaking Christmas tree, suspended from the ceiling of the Square and spanning all three floors. Download the full press release.
Full Article
Scotland’s leading brewer Tennent Caledonian is celebrating an exciting new phase in its history with the launch of ‘Caledonia Best’ – a distinctive beer that is rooted in a progressive new partnership with the nation’s barley farmers.
‘Caledonia Best’ is the embodiment of a new focus on the grain at the heart of the glass, and has been created by bringing together the most experienced and the youngest master brewers into one team at Wellpark Brewery – combining centuries of brewing craft and expertise with bold new thinking around sourcing and sustainability in one high quality new pint.
Download the full press release
Full Article
Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky is today sitting on top of the world after winning one of the whisky industry’s highest accolades, World Whisky of the Year, in Jim Murray’s 2012 Whisky Bible Awards.
In a class of some 1,500 whiskies, Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old scooped the top accolade, along with three other esteemed awards – Scotch Whisky of the Year, Single Malt (Multiple Casks) of the Year and Single Malt (16-21 Years) of the Year.
Already a favourite tipple for whisky drinkers in the UK, Old Pulteney has developed global appeal, and winning such a host of highly-regarded awards will be sure to secure Old Pulteney’s place as one of the top whiskies in the world.
Download the full press release
Full Article
Whether you love Edinburgh for its festival frenzy, Glasgow for its legendary banter or Aberdeen for its granite gleam, Tennent’s is asking Scots to put into words the pride and passion they have for their city to create a limited edition set of glasses.
In a first for the brand, this new campaign from Scotland’s leading lager sees Tennent’s handing its pint glass over to the people of Scotland, asking them to log onto facebook.com/ tennentslager to comment on what the nation’s six cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen or Inverness) mean to them.
Download the full press release.
Full Article
‘Woooaaa… this fizz is on fire!’ It’s the same great taste of IRN-BRU, but with the heat turned up! Scotland’s phenomenal soft drink is set to get tongues tingling this autumn with the launch of its first ever limited edition: Fiery IRN-BRU.
For just ten weeks from September, the nation’s iconic fizz has been given an injection of fire, thanks to a shot of secret fiery ingredients that give it a phenomenal kick. Fans can look forward to the IRN-BRU taste they know and love – with the excitement and intensity of some added fire! Download the full press release.
Full Article
Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Glasgow Print Studio artist competition, Northland, named artist Christine Leathem’s lithograph Untitled as its winning submission, after a judging process with renowned artist and playwright John Byrne.
The competition put Scotland’s artists to the test over several months, calling for those working actively within the Print Studio to develop their own distinctive works inspired by the ‘black hill’ and stunning Highland scenery at Knockdhu Distillery, where anCnoc is created.
Download the full press release.
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On August 26th we were thrilled when British Arctic explorer and adventurer Jock Wishart claimed a momentous world first as he and his six-man crew completed their ambitious ‘Old Pulteney Row to the Pole’, reaching the magnetic north pole (recognised and certified in 1996) at 12.30am GMT.
The expedition, sponsored by Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky, set out from Resolute Bay on Friday 29th July to conquer some of the harshest conditions on earth. The voyage was four years in the planning and has been the challenge of a lifetime for Jock and his crew, as they steered the small ‘Old Pulteney’ ice boat through the ice-strewn sea.
Download the full press release
Full Article
2011 winners announced -
In August the Tennent’s Training Academy, Scotland’s centre for excellence in entertaining and hospitality training, announced the winners of its first ever Modern Apprentice of the Year Awards – recognising and rewarding the brightest new talent in the business. Paul Hunter, 24, from Glasgow scooped the Modern Food and Beverage Apprentice of the Year 2011 accolade with Joe McGroaty, 36, from Dumbarton winning Modern Chef Apprentice of the Year 2011.
Having opened its doors in November 2010, the £1million Tennent’s Training Academy has seen hundreds of talented and ambitious young people sign up to build their skills for an exciting career in the industry.
Download the full press release.
Full Article
Knowing how Scots love their holidays in cash-strapped times, the nation’s favourite soft drink IRN-BRU created a phenomenal holiday giveaway …and the ‘BRU-Jet’ took flight! With the help of the campaign’s super-tanned stewards Derek and Jackie, IRN-BRU gave away 100 seats on board a special holiday flight to Tenerife in October, with special winning tickets hidden on-pack in stores across the nation.
Download the full press release.
Full Article
To celebrate the start of the new SFL season, Scotland’s favourite soft drink teamed up with the world’s Scotch Pie champion, Maurice Irvine, to create a limited edition IRN-BRU pie available to purchase from Irvine’s of Beith for the first Saturday kick off. SFL Chief Executive David Longmuir was thrilled about this exciting new addition for the launch of the SFL: “IRN-BRU is renowned for giving SFL fans something a bit special, and this year is no exception. The IRN-BRU Pie is a novel way to celebrate the start of the season.”
Download the full press release.
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Edinburgh’s most glamorous free beauty event, Spa in the City was created as part of the Open for Business Campaign to support Edinburgh retailers during tram construction. In June 2011 Essential Edinburgh staged the event for a fourth year, so Spa in the City came back – bigger and better than ever, bringing the best of Edinburgh’s beauty & lifestyle retailers to St Andrew Square to showcase a range of free offers & treatments.
Top stores and brands such as Boots, Clarins, Molton Brown, Origins, Nails Inc and The Body Shop were available throughout the weekend to offer visitors the opportunity to try a selection of complimentary treatments including indulgent manicures, pampering massages and glamorous makeovers. Plans are already underway for 2012.
Full Article
The 2011 Edinburgh International Film Festival unveiled a fresh programme mix for its 65th year, packed with screenings, new events, collaborations and innovative film experiences for the city – the first fruits of a plan to invigorate the Festival for modern audiences.
Promising an inclusive celebration of cinema for all, a strong core of diverse new film from Britain and around the globe this year saw a broad and engaging programme that included Perfect Sense with Ewan MacGregor and the European Premiere of the Kings Of Leon’s ‘Talihina Sky’.
Download the full press release.
Full Article
In May Le Creuset at Princes Square brought summertime to Glasgow with a delectable Strawberry Tea Party event in the centre courtyard. The event officially launched Le Creuset’s new limited edition Strawberry Tea Collection created to help raise money for the stylish cookware’s official charity partner, Breast Cancer Care.
On the day, the iconic courtyard was awash with pink delights and transformed into a traditional summer tea party scene with a host of tasty cakes and delicacies for visitors to indulge in, whilst relaxing underneath the centre’s vast and ornate glass roof.
Services
Bringing experience, energy and vision to every campaign, our team identifies the aims of our clients and develops a tailor-made PR strategy. Tuned in to target markets, we work across all forms of media – integrating additional marketing platforms to ensure maximum impact. We offer a UK-wide service that exceeds the boundaries of traditional PR, expertly delivering campaign success.
Media Relations
Effective media strategies using strong contacts and knowledge of what makes a good story.
Brand Strategy
Creative, distinctive ideas to seed or support a brand and connect with target audience.
Online PR
Insight and intelligence to deploy the latest digital and social media strategies.
Corporate
Establishing reputations and relationships with stakeholders, businesses and communities.
Issues Management
Comprehensive planning and consultancy service.
Guerilla Marketing
Creative and well–executed mix of stunts, photo-opps and ambient activity with impact.
Event Management
Comprehensive management service, from intimate receptions to major launch events.
Event & Festival Publicity
Pre-publicity and on-site media management for events of any size and scale.
Sponsorship
Identifying and managing all types of sponsorships to maximise investment.
Expertise
From high-profile organisations seeking a fresh approach to up-and-coming enterprises longing to realise their potential, Burt Greener has established a reputation for delivering innovative, inspiring and above all successful campaigns on behalf of our clients. View more of our clients, from brand, retail and public sector to sport, festivals and events.
Testimonials
‘Burt Greener, our PR partner for a number of years, have made a significant contribution to IRN-BRU’s success. They have generated a significant amount of media coverage based on creative ideas that have captured the imagination of our consumers …and also managed with great effect the PR of our Scottish Football League sponsorship. On reputation and issues management they have provided a strong and steady hand in pro-actively planning for eventualities and demonstrated highly effective media relations.’
Adrian Troy, A.G.Barr’s Head of Marketing
‘Burt Greener developed a well targeted, resonating communications strategy to truly bring to life the brand USP in line with our goals and budget. Thanks to the professional and dedicated approach of Burt Greener, Caorunn managed to become a well established brand in Scotland within 2 years of launch. Burt Greener is not only a team of experts but a group of very nice people who make everyday work a pleasure indeed.’
Ibolya Bakos, Brand Manager Caorunn Gin and White Spirits
‘Burt Greener Communications were appointed in 2004 to work on our branded malt Scotch whisky portfolio, namely Old Pulteney, and have executed PR and sponsorship initiatives to enormous effect over the years, raising brand awareness, driving sampling programmes, and ultimately influencing source of sale! Latterly the brand sponsored The Old Pulteney Row To The Pole, netting AVE to the value of over £2m in a 4 month period.’
Karen Walker, Marketing Director, International Beverage Holdings Ltd (IBHL)
‘An absolute pleasure to work with. I find Burt Greener to be inspiring, reliable, proactive and of course enjoyable to work with. More often than not nowadays we find ourselves with tight budgets and deadlines but the team always deliver for me.’
Gillian Gibson, anCnoc Brand Manager
‘While working with Burt Greener over the past several years, we have been nothing but impressed. Their hard work and dedication to the job is always exemplified by the quality of results they produce. We have always found it easy working with the team and look forward to working on future projects together.’
Essential Edinburgh
‘The team impressed with their mix of strategic insight, planning skills, creativity and the strong partnership approach they demonstrated with the many stakeholders involved in the Open For Business project. Campaigns were always well executed and delivered good results. I would have no hesitation in recommending Burt Greener to anyone who was wishing to appoint a skilled, creative & proactive PR agency.’
Graham Birse, Deputy Chief Executive, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
‘Burt Greener Communications have been involved at Princes Square Shopping Centre for over 2 years now. In this time I have found them to be an invaluable part of the bigger marketing team. Creative thinking and account management skills are second to none and have helped me do a better job, as has their flexibility. I would have no hesitation in recommending them.’
Claire Wilkinson, Marketing Manager – Princes Square and Director – Ginger Rabbit Marketing
Contact
Our Head office is centrally located within Edinburgh City Centre. Five minutes from
Princes Street and 10 minutes
on foot from Waverley Station.
Edinburgh
The Auction House Mews
43 Thistle St Lane SW
Edinburgh EH2 1EW
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© Burt Greener Communications 2011 / Website by Touch