Festivals use beer and crisps to whet tourists' appetites

THE Capital's line-up of summer festivals could feature on beer cans and crisp packets as part of a drive to bring in new audiences.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival are among those to be promoted in a first link-up between Festivals Edinburgh and leading consumer brands.

A "hit list" of brand names likely to appeal to the typical festival-goer - including beers, wines and snacks - has been drawn up by marketing chiefs.

Talks are now taking place with the brands about running on-pack promotions, such as competitions to win a weekend in Edinburgh with tickets to a range of shows.

The 80,000 festivals drive is part of a wider 3.5 million "Surprise Yourself" campaign by VisitScotland, which aims to take advantage of the growing "staycation" trend by encouraging UK residents to consider holidaying in Scotland.

Martin Reynolds, head of marketing at Festivals Edinburgh, said: "Our joint campaign will enable us to target key audiences in London and the north east of England through a mix of marketing channels to encourage potential visitors to consider Edinburgh for their summer holiday.

"We look forward to developing our successful partnership with VisitScotland and in turn welcoming new audiences to the world's festival capital this year."

Linking up with brands that are likely to appeal to key target audiences is seen as a more cost-effective way to promote the festivals than more general TV or billboard advertising.

It is hoped that the campaign will be up-and-running by early June and will run until the end of July.

The VisitScotland/Festivals Edinburgh link-up will also include online marketing and promotion of the festivals to the tourist agency's mailing lists.

The wider "Surprise Yourself" campaign by VisitScotland - which launched with a new television advert this week - attempts to promote Edinburgh and Scotland's most unique and unusual attractions.

Other Lothian sites and attractions to feature in the agency's biggest ever UK campaign include the Rat Race, which sees competitors test their endurance on some of Edinburgh's best-known landmarks, the Castle Terrace farmer's market, which regularly sells foods including locally-reared ostrich and buffalo, and the face of Robert the Bruce, within Rosslyn Chapel's ornate stonework.

The television adverts were directed by former Napier University photography student David Eustace, who has photographed celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney, Sophia Loren and Dame Judi Dench.Manuela Calchini, regional director of VisitScotland, said: "We are absolutely thrilled with the new adverts, which David has done a magnificent job of directing. People want to visit Edinburgh and this is all about persuading them to book now and discover this amazing city and surrounding area, which is chock full of surprising things to see and do."