Huttonian is beginning to have his doubts about the newly vamped Borders Tourist authority: Dog Ambassadors are all very well but cashmere jackets for lambs?
Is this slightly silly or am I lacking the vision thing-certainly this is the first time I have ever seen any mention of this 'promotion' which was launched three weeks ago-but then I am hardly a target for the Tourist people being here already.
Borders Launches Spring Showcase with Designer Cashmere Collection for Lambs 6 April 2005Scottish Borders
Six newborn Borders lambs were treated to a touch of haute couture this week at the launch of the VisitScotland Borders Spring marketing campaign.
To mark their latest bid to attract visitors to the region, and to highlight the regions textile heritage, VisitScotland Borders commissioned top Borders based designer Rosy Eribe of Eribe Knitwear to create special cashmere jackets for the lambs. Eribe clients include Libertys of London and designers Paul Smith and Margaret Howell. The jackets were modelled at a Spring fashion show with a difference today in a field near Stow in the heart of the Borders countryside.
The £40,000 campaign aims to highlight the regions rural beauty and attractions, which include a luxury cashmere trail tour of textile producers in the Borders. VisitScotland Borders Area Director, Fiona Drane said; Lambs are one of the iconic images of Spring and are particularly important here in the Borders where there are more sheep than in any other area of Scotland. We therefore thought that commissioning special cashmere versions of their own little coats would be an ideal way to promote the regions stunning Spring countryside which is home to lambs galore at the moment, and to highlight some of our great attractions. Last year, our Spring marketing campaign generated over £850,000 worth of tourism business for the region and we hope that this campaign will help us build on that figure by attracting ever increasing numbers of visitors to the Borders.I'll suspend judgement until I meet a stranger in the Cross Inn asking for the lambs in their cashmere jackets-I'll buy him a drink and introduce him to HE the Dog Ambassador Sir Canine Kerr of that IlkStop Press: I am quite wrong about the name of K2 -all is revealed below
The SBTB has made the final shortlist for Innovation Excellence for its Dog Friendly initiative, Marketing Achievement (small enterprise) for the Borders Touch Campaign and PR Excellence for its public relations activities conduct in association with Borders based consultancy Artisan PR.
Fiona Drane, Acting Chief Executive of the SBTB said: We are delighted that all three of the entries we submitted have made it through to the final shortlist. The Scottish Borders has established a reputation for developing new ideas and last November we collected a Thistle Award for Innovation for our Dog Friendly Campaign which involved the creation of a paw rating grading scheme for dog friendly accommodation providers, a special visitor guide for dog owners and the appointment of a Border collie Lord Mirk of Hornshole as the regions first Dog Ambassador. It would be wonderful if this was to win again. We are also very proud of our Borders Touch initiative aimed at promoting and recognising good customer service through showing the role that everyone can play in ensuring visitors to this region enjoy their stay. Our nomination for PR Excellence is in association with Artisan PR and creativity has been paramount with activity including the creation of a dress made entirely from leaves and the setting up of a Scottish Borders Embassy in the Lake DistrictAny sightings of Lord Mirk to be reported to the Rant please. Hornshole-especially the second syllable is perhaps not too good for a dog-plastic bags and pooper scoopers to the rescue
