Raising the Game: How the Scottish Cup Final is helping to promote healthier lifestyles

IN THE era before Sky's millions wedded football to the realm of celebrity, and Bovril had yet to be supplanted by Bollinger as the game's beverage of choice, the nation's premier cup competition could boast a marketing arrangement that seemed out of its time. On the cover of the programme for the 1988 Scottish Cup final was a small yellow banner plugging the sponsor – not an electronics giant or sportswear supplier, but the Scottish Health Education Group.

• Ross County fans Roddy Riddle, Hamish Scott and Stephen Mitchell are riding from Inverness to Glasgow for the final. Picture: SNS

A precursor of NHS Health Scotland, the deal aimed to make the message of healthy lifestyles heard above the infamous Hampden roar. Now, a generation on, history is repeating itself.

As the nation gathers to watch tomorrow's final between Dundee United and Ross County, one of the most ambitious public health campaigns of recent years reaches its widest audience yet.

The Active Nation campaign, backed by the Scottish Government, is the sponsor of this year's SFA flagship tourney. The high-profile platform is integral to the campaign's aim of getting the nation "fitter, healthier, and happier".

But in the big money world of sports marketing, where success is judged by sales and share prices, how to gauge the success of a public health campaign and its intangible aim of changing a nation's attitude to wellbeing?

Simon Chadwick, professor of sport business strategy and marketing at Coventry University, explained: "In the corporate world, companies sponsor because they think it will bring a conversion in sales, whether it's beer for Carling or Vodafone handsets. But there is nothing surprising about a government or public body getting involved with a sponsorship deal with football teams nowadays. Down south, Tranmere Rovers have been sponsored by Wirral Borough Council, and the GMB union has sponsored sides. Sponsorship forms an association between the event and an idea. So when folk talk about the Scottish Cup, they think about it being active and healthy."

Shona Robison, minister for public health and sport, said the "huge audience" provides a "catalyst" for raising awareness. When the rebranding was unveiled last September, Gordon Smith, then chief executive of the SFA, went further, claiming it might "make our country a better place".

It is a bold aspiration, one which will only be achieved with patience and care. Dr Fiona Davies, a senior lecturer in marketing at Cardiff Business School, warned the undertaking must coax people into making change, rather than foisting it upon them. "Government campaigns that tell people what to do are a turn-off," she says.

For its part, the administration at Holyrood is steering clear of finger-wagging. It views the initiative as a "slow burn" which, above and beyond the 125th annual Scottish Cup, should be seen as synonymous with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. In short, it claims, the five-year drive will gather momentum, influence, and publicity.

An "active" Scotland, the campaign declares, should be a "legacy" of 2014. In layman's terms, it wants to boost the number of Scots taking exercise. At present, only 39 per cent of adults meet recommended physical activity levels, but Active Nation hopes to help meet the 2022 target of 50 per cent. As well as working with events such as Moonwalk and Sports Relief, it is looking to encourage individuals such as fathers who have given up five-a-side, or mothers who feel pressured for time. People can record "personal activity" challenges and times on a website – nearly 2,000 have signed up since March.

Yet the inspirational messages appear to have fallen on deaf ears among rank and file football supporters, the target audience of its Scottish Cup patronage. "The Active Nation name hasn't changed anything for supporters," said Tam Ferry, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs. "There hasn't been that much publicity about that side of the campaign. Just because you call the cup a different name, it isn't going to make ordinary fans take up exercise or change diet. I know I haven't suddenly felt the need to go for a five-mile run."

Jonathan Gabay, who runs Brand Forensics, agreed: "The name Active Nation isn't enough. Unless those kind of phrases are substantiated, consumers will become blas to them." Dr Davies adds: "The result the government should be looking for is behavioural change. I hope they have initial measurements about the attitudes of people to exercise, diet, and alcohol, because otherwise it would be hard to see if there has been a difference."

A Mori poll for UK Sport conducted in 2003, the year after the Manchester Commonwealth Games, found that the number of people in the city taking part in sport fell from 52 to 50 per cent. By sponsoring a major event like the Scottish Cup, though, there is belief that Active Nation's message will go further.

Increased participation in sport among young people is one way in which success will be gauged. Certainly, youth sport is a cause held dear by Willie Haughey, the former Celtic director whose 2 million investment from his personal fortune of 150m made possible the Scottish Cup sponsorship.

The owner of Glasgow-based City Refrigeration Holdings is hopeful his cash will encourage youngsters to take up football. He said: "When we were in negotiations with the SFA, we made it clear this is about grassroots football. Hopefully it'll lead to a lot more kids exercising and putting away PlayStations."

Yet many believe that no matter how positive the intentions of Active Nation, the campaign refuses to acknowledge the elephant in the room – or as Dr Davies puts it, the "long tradition of alcohol companies sponsoring football".

While tomorrow's finalists are sponsored by a sportswear firm and a telecommunications provider, a spokeswoman for the British Medical Association Scotland pointed to the "irony" of a competition promoting healthy living that has been contested by teams wearing shirts promoting drink firms, including Rangers and Celtic, who are sponsored by Carling.

Others strike a more pragmatic tone, given the financial turmoil which has seized the Scottish game in recent years. "I can understand people saying there's a tension, but there has to be a balance," reasoned Mr Haughey. "If that's what it takes to help clubs, and encourage more young people to play, it's necessary."

Whatever its chances of success, Prof Chadwick believes Active Nation is setting the standard through the Scottish Cup sponsorship. "There's a groundswell of opinion that socially inappropriate sponsorships should be banned," he said. "This is more in tune with what will happen in the next five to ten years in sport sponsorship. It shows care and concern, and creates a halo effect."