The Rise of Digital Marketing in Glasgow

It should come as no surprise that Glasgow is home to many of the world’s leading digital marketing specialists. Scotland's largest city has an enviable reputation dating back over many decades as a leader in all forms of marketing and related skills such as design, architecture, textiles, printing and finishing techniques. It stands to reason that when focus quickly shifted over to online design and marketing, Glasgow’s ability to adapt, helped to place it right at the top of the rankings.

A History Of Art & Design

Glasgow’s prominence in the graphic design, advertising and print industries in the 70s and 80s was hugely influenced and supported by the acclaimed successes of architects, designers and artists such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It was Mackintosh who designed the internationally influential Glasgow School of Art building (shown right). The “Glasgow Boys” were also a very influential and highly regarded group of artists and designers of the late 1800s to early 1900s who really consolidated Glasgow as a centre of excellence in all aspects of cutting edge art and design. This became the root and stem of a culture that extends to this day and can be seen in the outstanding work of Glasgow’s Digital Marketers that are so highly regarded in the industry.

The Print Boom

In the 1980s in particular, commercial companies would pay a premium for the ability to place their brands in front of a wide audience by means of brochures and print work, direct mail, press advertising, billboard posters, radio and television advertising. These were ‘boom times’ for advertisers who adopted the blanket advertising approach. Glasgow thrived with many large advertising agencies being based in the city tapping into the talent pool graduating from Glasgow School of Art. Of course we still see these traditional methods of marketing in evidence however there is a hefty premium to pay for blanket coverage of press adverts.

Glasgow's Digital Coming of Age

With a long history and tradition of grasping new ideas and opportunities, Glasgow’s design and marketing industry leaders were quick to take advantage of the Internet and all its possibilities. With Web design, here was a perfect canvas for expert artists, graphic designers and marketers to help their commercial clients to market far more effectively. They could now virtually abandon high cost blanket advertising and directly target their key target audiences in a much more powerful and cost effective way. The Internet age had arrived.

Marketing Leaders of The Future

Glasgow was soon producing expert leaders in digital marketing and exporting this talent across the world as more and more companies shifted their marketing strategies and investment away from traditional advertising to much more effective online marketing. Glasgow’s universities have long had a global reputation for excellence in further education. Soon they were gaining a newer reputation for providing degree courses that produced high calibre graduates with top qualifications. These young men and women were highly sought to ply their trade as digital marketers of excellence in global markets. Many saw their best career opportunities were by joining Glasgow’s leading digital marketing companies that had already established their global reputation.

As Glasgow had an already enviable reputation for design and advertising it is easy to understand how Glasgow was very fast to embrace the opportunities to excel in the world’s biggest advertising arena, The Internet.

Today, businesses in the West of Scotland have the huge benefit of having such a high level of digital marketing expertise on their doorstep. However, such is the nature of business on the Internet, companies across Scotland and the rest of the UK are seeking out Glasgow’s digital agencies as a leading source excellence.

Glasgow's Going Global

So it is not unusual to find UK based companies with global interests focusing their digital marketing agencies in Glasgow. This, in turn, adds to the knowledge and expertise already existing in these agencies allowing them to be at the forefront of global digital campaigns.

Wherever the digital age takes us next, Glasgow remains well-placed to lead us there too.