Shining Scots stars celebrated by The Marketing Society Star Awards in Edinburgh
This was the 20th year of the Star Awards, which have been developed to help build a vibrant marketing community in Scotland.
The star-studded evening was hosted by Lisa and Alana Macfarlane – otherwise known as The Mac Twins – and awards were presented across five categories: Strategic, Communication, Sector, Chairman’s, and Champions.
The Marketing Society promotes a better understanding and appreciation of the value of marketing and as a career option, from the classroom to the boardroom.
The Star School Award is presented to the team of pupils with the most effective marketing strategy as part of their overall business plan for a product they have created as part of the Young Enterprise Scotland awards.
This year’s winners were Team Hive 25 from Johnstone High School.
The Star Marketing Student of the Year prize is awarded after universities and schools across Scotland nominate the finalists, who attend an Apprentice Day event to work on a live brief and are then assessed on their strategic, creative and presentation skills.
This year’s winner was Sara Horne from the University of Glasgow.
The Aspiring Creative Star of the Year is open to anyone who has an ambition to work in the advertising and creative industry in Scotland.
This year’s winners were Abi Avery , Christine Morrison and Emily Thomas.
The Rising Marketing Star of the Year was awarded to Jodie Mitchell from Worldwide Cancer Research.
Lauren Brogan of Frame won Rising Agency Star of the Year, and Diarmuid Corkery from The Union was awarded Rising Creative Star of the Year.
In the Champions category, The Star Agency of the Year award was presented to Glasgow-based MadeBrave, which also won a number of other awards on the night, including Gold for their work with First Bus and the Creating the Next Generation of Bus Users campaign.
Star Marketing Team of the Year was awarded to the Scottish Government, which continues to set standards for the quality and range of their campaigns, and their societal impact.
The judges were also impressed by their innovative employer brand vision, their commitment to the industry, as well as training and development.
The Inspiring Agency Leader of the Year went to Nathalie Agnew, managing director of Muckle Media, and Chair of the Edinburgh and Lothians branch of the Institute of Directors Scotland.
Muckle Media also won various other awards, including a Gold Star for its launch campaign for Popeyes restaurants in Scotland.
The judges commended Nathalie as an exceptional example of leadership and her commitment to her team and their company values.
The final award of the evening was to the Inspirational Marketing Leader of the Year, which was presented to Laura McLachlan, director of marketing at Worldwide Cancer Research.
This was a first for the Star Awards, with the same organisation winning both Rising Marketing Star and Inspirational Marketing Leader awards.
On the night, Laura was described as leading with “empowerment, not power”, and has led significant transformational change and innovation in the organisation.
She is a purpose and people-driven marketer with outstanding leadership, strategic vision and a commitment to driving positive change.
A true inspirational story to round off a wonderful evening of celebrations.
For full details of all winners in each category, click here.