Cullen Skink

Cafe owners, there’s an opportunity to get away from it all and run a cafe on Canna, one of the Small Isles, just off Scotland’s West Coast. The fact that I don’t have previous catering experience is the only thing stopping me asking The Nationa Trust for Scotland (who own the Island) for more details.

The island of Eigg is just next to Canna and it already has got a cafe and it’s absolutely magic. Eigg’s an Island run by the people so their cafe is a real labour of love. Views to die for, great cooking and home baking AND it’s licenced, so you can enjoy a glass of Scottish real Ale whilst staring up at The Sgurr of Eigg, with Golden Eagles flying round it. It’s possibly the best cafe in the world!

I’d imgine the Canna Caff could be equally as good. So, cafe owners, if you’re fed up with the restaurant rat race, give the National Trust for Scotland a call, they’re looking for someone!

Bagging was accepted onto the growth pipeline by Scottish Enterprise, so for all of you who are ‘Gaggin’ tae go Baggin’ it’s going to be happening. Thanks goes out to Denise O’Connor who has been a huge help here.

Scotland’s big Festival has kicked-off. The Edinburgh Festival is the World’s biggest Arts Festival and my first visit to it this year was combined with a Visitscotland visit, to find out about Clipper round the World racing. Basically, travelling to all points in the globe in a 50 ft racing yacht. We got a guided tour of the yacht, sat in serene Leith. All very nice but I seriously don’t fancy being out in the middle of the Atlantic in one! If you’ve got a spare £30k, you can take part! The whole gig is sponsored by Benromach, the whisky firm owned by Gordon and MacPhail, so interesting to see them do something so innovative. The whole of Glasgow has been alive to the music of the pipes, as the World Pipe Band Championships are on. An amazing event that would help even the most rabid anti-bagpipe fiend get an understanding of the beauty and power of a massed pipe band. Well, I reckon so, anyway. ‘Bagging’ Scotlands (distilleries, islands and castles) is up for funding at the moment, so interesting times! Other than that, we just need a bit of sun, and all will be rosy in Scotland!

I wrote this for the Dunning blog but it’s so good (even though I say so myself) that I thought I’d put it up on my own site!

I’ve just been reading the latest issue of .Net magazine and as usual, there’s lots of new, ground-breaking ’stuff’ being mentioned in it. Techniques, ‘apps’, nav tips, 3D design techniques…tons of zany aspects. All of which I didn’t know about last week. Now, you could look at this alarming speed of change in two ways. You could try and keep up and read EVERYTHING, using this depth of digital knowledge to give your clients a superficial glossary style guide to everything that’s of the ‘now’. Loads of stuff that they’ll probably find quite interesting but never, in a million years ever want to use.

Alternatively, you could look at the marketing conundrum they face and work out how best to conquer the challenge, beginning in a good, old-fashioned way, before looking at the tools you might use, to get the concise message across. I read a comment recently by Ross Laurie, who’s the head honcho at ‘Line’ in Edinburgh and he’s suggesting that you shouldn’t get too worked-up about the very latest aspect of technology. In other words, don’t put all your marketing eggs in one twittery basket.

Like a lot of people, we’ve been having a massive amount of fun with Twitter recently and it’s clear the short, sharp message platform can work as a tactic for loads of commercial concerns. However, you’ve got to strip it back. Start by looking at the fun, concise, different and exciting snippets or messages you might have that’ll help you stand out. Get them planned properly and then start to look at the various new and ground-breaking ‘apps’ that may or may not work for you. The booze firms are getting good at this.

In essence, although you can now do basically anything, there’s got to be core values and a core creative spark to make it successful. The ‘tone’. People expect ‘good’ and ‘quality’ on wee ephemeral things that cost a couple of quid, so it’s just a ‘given’ that an air of quality should be draped around the incredibly important entity that is your valuable marketing strategy. So, by all means have fun and look ahead but get focused and invest in the basic, ‘nice’ things like clever writing and gorgeous photography.

Don’t get too hung-up on the latest ‘thing’. Okay, it might revolutionise your sales approach or double your market penetration but it could equally, turn out to be just a fad. As Austrian Fashion Fop ‘Bruno’ seems to be shouting out (from everywhere) at the moment, Borat was sooo 2006! What’s really funny and super-clever one minute can quickly seem a bit lame and rather crap, pretty soon after. After all, as .Net mag will show you, technology changes all the time but look around you and you’ll see that the people, products and Brand personalities that ooze style and quality, they never go out of fashion.

I’m back and anecdotal evidence (and from what I’ve seen with my own eyes) is visitors numbers in Scotland are up in spite of the so-so weather. Last year, they’re meant to have fallen by about a million but from what I witnessed (quality) visitor attractions are busy. It’s clear that things are much more transient and places will open (and close) with much more regularity. However, if you’ve got a good offer and you use clever channels to promote it, they will come.

For instance, I was in Golspie, which is not the epicentre of Scottish tourism but it’s a place that needs to rely on getting visitors. It’s a tale of two hotels, literally next door to each other. One, full of the ‘craic’ with welcoming service, a bustling locals bar and a ‘can do’ attitude. Like, let’s get the dartboard and fun Scottish music going, mid-afternoon, let’s have a bit of a joke, let’s get gin that’s run out replaced, rather than just offer the other brand. All of this needs no investment, other than training. Meanwhile, the almost identical hotel next door is closed from 3pm to 6pm with a handwritten sign on the door telling you (and the increasingly disenchanted locals nae doubt) this great, height of the tourist season news. Here’s the rub, one of these places is doing awright, the other is up for sale. Guess which one is which? Not exactly rocket science. So, dear readers, the top tourism tip for today is: try harder and only enter into the ‘hospitality’ industry if you enjoy being hospitable. So, Sutherland Arms Hotel, TRY HARDER!

On the subject of ‘Bagging’, there’s lots to be added but as I’m literally just in the door, here’s another look at the wee brand lozenges. They are growing on me!

It’s clear the world is changing. Things that weren’t possible 12 months ago are now. You can twitter, blog and put yourself up on all measure of social marketing platform. However, at the moment, there’s not much of a ’science’ surrounding this. Even the biggest and best are doing it in a somewhat ad hoc fashion. There are a number of ’social marketing’ agencies creeping onto the scene and everyone’s now embracing what used to be called ‘digital’. However, if you’re one of the many people who haven’t got a clue what ‘digital’ includes or doesn’t include and you’re keen to get yourself or your markting team up to speed. perhaps we can help? No-fuss, no-hyperbole training on the ‘digital’ marketing landscape and where your firm or organisation can fit in or capitalise on opportunities? E-mail me victor@cullen-skink.com and we’ll come and see you, to talk you through the stages!

If you’ve got kids, the idea of squad of them arriving at your gaff for an ‘overnight’ may fill your heart with dread. Well, I’ve just had one and it was fabulous fun. I don’t want to come over all right-on, but a fine bunch of young men, who had a great time in the sunshine at Carbeth. Check out www.carbethhutters.org  My wee boy’s at Steiner school, so all his mates are culturally diverse and it’s certainly the first time I’ve done a Halal barbie. Brilliant fun and although I didn’t sleep much due to blinking hayfever, Oskie and the chaps had a great time. Also, bonfires. They’re for dads really. I was informed that before we all had a telly, we spent an equal amount of time staring into the hypnotic flames of out domestic fire. One of our dad-type visitors loved the bonfire building apect, so he’s welcome back any time. We also had ‘Dan the Man’ visit us, and he’s from England! Even he couldn’t dampen the spirits created by a gorgeous day in Scotland. Back to oil the wheels of Industry in the morning!

Just back from a funeral, which should have been sad, but wasn’t. Main protagonist in making it cheery was the setting. Arisaig. With a new road to it, a new marina and a pub which was packed and buzzing with all sorts enjoying Scots music and fabulous grub, it’s bloody magnificent. There were loads of sun-tanned people having a great time. It’s getting really good up there. It’s probably just as well it was pissing down today, as I’d be over-eulogising if it wasn’t and I’d run the risk of not being taken seriously. Last night, I bathed-in the view (and in the sea) at Morar and is was simply amazing. Sat outside at the Cnoc na Faire pub/hotel and gazed out at the image above. Is this the best view, from a pub car park, anywhere on the Planet? This is the not the crap that most people in England would let you believe Scotland is like. We need to start telling people. It’s MAGNIFICENT!

Not the typical view from a pub carpark. Unless you happen to venture out for a pint in Scotland!

I’m heading up there for my Uncle Frank’s funeral on Thursday. It’s one of my favourite places anywhere and I suppose if you must die (as we all will, I suppose) it’s as good a place as any to finish-off your wee bit of time on Planet Earth. Frank was a diamond geezer. A bit of a maverick, a bit of a man’s man and someone who definitely had an over-fondness for fags and and big dram…but he made me laugh a lot. That’s about the highest compliment I could pay anyone. He was a bin man at one stage in his life and his run was round the most beautiful and mystical bits of Scotland…Arisaig, Glenfinnan, Mallaig, Ardnamurchan…what a job! Carlsberg don’t do bin runs but if they did, it would probably be the best bin run in the World. When we walked the West Highland Way, we finished it, in the garden of his house in Coul, just outside Fort William. I drank-in a dram and the quite amazing scenery, with Ben Nevis towering over the end of his street and finished off with some more drams in Frank’s local boozer. One of the most momorable days I’ve ever had in Scotland.  Again, a Carslberg job, 19 Erracht Drive has easily the best view of any cooncil hoose in Europe (although I had an argument with a guy called Fraz in Glenuig, who said his cooncil hoose was better and proceeded to take me in, to show me it…we’ll call it a draw then, Fraz).

Uncle Frank. I’ll miss ‘im and his unique humour, he was a bloody great guy. God bless you Guvnor!

P.S. Pauline, my missus, took this photo, it’s rather good!

Scott Seeley and the Digital Partners dudes, who I’ll be working with in the future. They’ve save me a lot of time here and made sure the CullenSkink look and feel has been carried through.

Ramsay MacFarlane. who’s going to be ‘Bagging’ with me. He’s been keeping it all ‘on brand’ and has even chosen the correct pint for us to use.

Credit where credit’s due, so I’ll be mentioning all of the happy gang as they get involved.