Promotions agency Mascot poised for Edinburgh move

Joanne Milne says Mascot has recruited nearly 300 casual staff since December

Mascot, which began recruiting casual staff in December, will provide actors, models, street teams and other promotional staff in Scotland and the north of England on behalf of event management group Regal Promotions.

Similar deals with two further London agencies have been agreed and negotiations with others continue.

Launched by Joanne Milne after she returned to Aberdeen from ten years working in London and Australia, Mascot will move to Edinburgh this spring to take advantage of high-profile events in the capital such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Hogmanay celebrations. Milne said this will allow the firm – which is on the cusp of signing its first direct client – to have hands-on management during key campaigns.

“Experiential promotions encourage two-way interaction which creates a close bond between a brand and its target audience,” Milne said. “Promotions can include memorable taste-testing or eye-catching in-store demonstrations.

“For brands to achieve the increased awareness, sales and consumer loyalty they want from these promotions they need suitable, experienced and trained staff – and that’s where Mascot comes in.”

The firm has signed nearly 300 recruits in two months, and is continuing to add to its books. From those, Milne said Mascot will pick staff best suited for each campaign, and will test them on their knowledge of a brief prior to “going live”.

Milne set out on her own after moving back from London where she was head of staffing at iD, which has specialised in experiential marketing since 1993. She is supported in the business part-time by husband Steve Aird, a former advertising agency owner, and started recruiting from Aberdeen after consulting with advisers from her local Business Gateway office.