Golley Slater wins battle to handle referendum PR

ONE of the most prestigious media relations contracts offered by the public sector in Scotland – handling the independence referendum – has been won by Golley Slater.

Picture: HeMedia

The firm beat off three rivals in a tender process to secure the highly-prized job, which will run from the beginning of April to the end of September.

A formal announcement is due in the next few days but The Scotsman has learned that Golley Slater has been chosen ahead of The Big Partnership, Weber Shandwick and a consortium bid from Wire Media and Material UK.

Golley Slater, a full service advertising, branding, PR, recruitment and social media firm, has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow and across the UK.

The contract for the referendum will not be the most lucrative in PR terms – worth between £25,000 and £50,000 over six months – but it does provide international exposure for what is described as “the biggest event in Scottish history in recent times”. It was judged 70 per cent on quality and 30 per cent on price.

Golley Slater will manage a broad range of tasks to support chief counting officer Mary Pitcaithly and the Electoral Management Board overseeing the referendum process. It will provide guidance on all issues for broadcast, print and other media in the run-up to and beyond the declaration of the result on 18 September. The firm will be managing the media centre, including accreditation.

It will liaise with suppliers of technical aspects of the count and will include advice on specification, procurement and installation. Pitcaithly, chief executive of Falkirk Council, will declare the verdict of the poll at the Royal Highland Showground which was chosen from 25 possible venues in Edinburgh.