Issue 103 - 1st May - 30th May
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The nomination, decided by a panel advertising experts, represents a remarkable coup for the internet business, which at just seven years old and with only 30 staff enjoys a fraction of the marketing resources of its long-established fellow nominees.
Industry commentator and founder of The Leith agency, John Denholm – who himself is nominated in the Most Influential Person category – said: “Having been involved with great Scottish brands like Tennent’s and Irn Bru over the years, I’m delighted that we in Scotland are today still creating great new brands, of which s1 is a shining example.”
The announcement is the latest in a long line of accolades for the online publisher, which has picked up more than 30 awards for marketing creativity and effectiveness, including the Brand of the Year award in 2004.
Gordon Young, Publisher of awards hosts Carnyx Group said: “What’s really striking about s1 is that there haven’t been too many new Scottish brands in recent years that have made a comparable impact. Its success is of course partly due to great advertising and specifically an impressive consistency in message and tone. It’s a brand that Scotland’s marketing community should be immensely proud of.”
The launch of s1jobs, in January 2001, saw the debut of a celebrated advertising campaign that featured the ‘just a penny chew mister’ Ice Cream commercial (later voted Scotland’s favourite TV ad) and the unfortunate Lavvyheid. The site itself was an instant hit, attracting 10,000 job seekers in its first month, a number that has since risen to more than 400,000.
Further sites followed, including s1homes, s1play and s1learning, with ad campaigns starring notable Scottish personalities from Sydney Devine to Phil Kay. The latest ‘Doodles’ campaign, which itself is nominated in five categories at this year’s awards, was created by The Leith and animated by Dundee’s Ink Digital.
Commenting on the Best Brand Ever nomination, s1 Managing Director Mark Smith said: “We’re delighted and of course flattered to be in the same company as such great Scottish institutions as Tennent’s, Glenmorangie and Irn Bru. For a digital brand, that hadn’t even been conceived less than a decade ago, to now be thought of in this way is a remarkable achievement and is testimony to the talents and hard work of the all the people who have been involved, from the techies behind the scenes to the advertising creatives. It’s also of course thanks in big part to the thousands of clients and users who visit our sites every single day.”
Ewan Colville, former s1 Head of Marketing and now International Marketing Manager with Visit Scotland, said: “s1 was truly a brand phenomenon; establishing market leadership within just 6 months of launch in a highly competitive environment. Quite simply it delivered excellence on all fronts; award winning marketing, superb website performance and a winning commercial strategy. And six years from launch its sites continue to set the pace not just in Scotland’s recruitment sector but arguably as Scotland’s most successful and innovative internet business.”
Current s1 Head of Marketing, David Craik, said: “For the ads guy at a ‘little’ Scottish brand like s1, this feels like the marketing equivalent of taking six points off France. I think the nomination is great news not just for us but for Scotland’s digital and marketing communities, because it highlights how new indigenous Scottish brands can succeed in the digital age.”
The awards take place at the Glasgow Hilton on October 26.
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