Nothing wrong with tartan persona

Published on Friday 7 March 2008 20:03

ON ROLLS Scotland's rebranding After renaming the Scottish Executive the "Scottish Government" and ditching "The Best Small Country in the World" as the nation's marketing slogan, the hyperactive Saatchis in the SNP administration now want to rename Tartan Week – the festival of all things Scottish in the United States – as "Scotland Week".

The aim is to broaden out from razzmatazz events such as the Tartan Day parade down Fifth Avenue to more serious promotions of contemporary Scottish life and work. The administration is anxious to move away from anything associated with Caledonian Cringe and to present Scotland as something more than the land of tartans, whisky and shortbread. Commendable though this broadening is, the fact remains that many Scottish Americans love the tartan-and-bagpipes persona. These are real, unambiguous and indisputable assertions of Scottish identity and automatically recognised as such around the world. Many nations are deeply envious of our distinctive identity – and the enduring appeal of these traditional icons speaks volumes about their popularity.

As with so much, it is a question not of ditching our heritage but striking a fresh balance between old and new. If potential US investors warm to the traditional, we should play to this strength while also making clear we are about so much more.