In the global race for talent and investment, the strongest nation brands are those that have a clear identity which leans into their strengths and shows a lot of personality.

Despite huge opportunities across renewables, digital, life sciences and financial services, Scotland isn’t yet strongly associated with innovation, technology or economic strength. Considering the storied history of technological innovation – from the telephone to penicillin – this is all the more surprising.

Globally, Scotland ranks an impressive 15th in the Anholt Nation Brands Index. However, its weakest perceptions are around “contribution to innovation and science” and “being a creative place with cutting-edge ideas”. For an economy seeking growth in renewables, tech, R&D and space, that perception gap presents a significant challenge – one Brand Scotland wants to change.

Our campaign sought to redefine Scotland as a place to build, grow and belong; the latest chapter in the long story of this incredible nation, told by the people who know it best.

We know that the BBC audience is one of businesspeople (152 index BDM) and international travellers (133 index). We also know that BBC News audiences are looking to be not just informed, but educated (92% value learning and developing new skills and 77% are interested in further education).

But most importantly, this audience also wants to be entertained. Our Science of Engagement research shows that emotional led storytelling drives purchase intent by +23%.

Our campaign, Where Innovation Thrives, built on the success of our past partnership using a fast-paced and fresh approach to a case study film format. A premium portrait of Scotland told by the people who are building it across BBC News TV, BBC.com and BBC social channels – reaching our audience wherever they are.

Entering the fourth year of collaboration with Brand Scotland, the ambition remained high. The task was not to reinvent the partnership, but to evolve it – keeping the film rooted in the same world, while shifting the lens firmly towards the “now and next.”

At its core lay a simple idea: a portrait of Scotland’s spirit of invention, one that isn’t confined to history; it is alive, evolving and shaping the future in real time. Fast-paced, cinematic and full of characters, the film captures a modern Scotland driven by courage, creativity and purpose, while retaining the authentic storytelling and premium craft synonymous with BBC StoryWorks.

The human-led, visually rich journey unfolds through three carefully curated case studies, each spanning different sectors, geographies and scales. Together, they form a living, breathing portrait of Scotland’s innovation ecosystem – from cutting-edge industry to grassroots ingenuity – grounded in real people, real places and real progress.

The film opens with a light, self-aware nod to iconic Scottish inventions, a wink to the past, before pivoting swiftly to the present, immersing audiences in the energy and ambition defining Scotland today. Along the way, it celebrates something deeper: a national instinct to experiment, to take risks, to fail, and to try again.

Blending intimate interviews, observational moments and archive, the film weaves two perspectives: the Innovators – founders and leaders sharing candid insights into resilience and bold thinking – and the Locals, whose spontaneous, often wry reflections anchor the narrative in lived experience. Together, they create a portrait that feels both expansive and deeply human.

Production embraced a lean, agile approach to cover the necessary ground. With our team travelling by van from Edinburgh to Glasgow and north to Invergordon, capturing both scripted and unscripted moments as they emerged. Filming in December brought the realities of shifting weather and limited daylight, but also a rawness and atmosphere that couldn’t be manufactured – adding further to the film’s strong sense of place.

The result is a film that combines cinematic storytelling with genuine voices and contemporary relevance – positioning Scotland not just as a nation shaped by its past, but as one actively inventing its future.

The distribution of our campaign was truly multiplatform and our research results showed effective emotional impact on our Business Decision Maker audience, leading to real influence.

On BBC News TV our 60 second TVC spots ran 352 times, resulting in over 100 million impressions globally.

On BBC.com and app, our branded content page housing our hero video garnered over 48,000 page views with audiences spending an impressive average time of 3 and a half minutes on the page.

On social channels, we delivered an impressive 2.2 million social impressions across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

The page was promoted across BBC.com through high-impact interscroller banners which achieved over 700,000 online video plays and video banners featuring the 30s cut down which achieved over 1.1 million video plays and a 52% completion rate.

Overall, our campaign reached over 4,900,000 individuals across the globe.

Our Science of Engagement research study, which used eye tracking and facial coding to show emotional and attention-based engagement showed that the film evoked strong feelings of surprise as well as deep-thought and happiness in our business decision maker sample.

The film’s ability to hold audience attention was proved by an average attention score of 87.3% against a benchmark of 84.1%. Enjoyment was high, with 90% of respondents reporting that they enjoyed the content (benchmark 80%) and 90% also stating that the content made them want to find out more.

Our Adscore report showed that the ‘Where Innovation Thrives’ campaign increased brand recommendation (+79%) and consideration (+89%) amongst the target audience, Senior Managers.

The campaign worked to drive knowledge of Scotland (+64%) and increase sentiment (+73%).

Brand associations positing Scotland as Innovative (+37%) and a good place to do business (+32%) showed the largest shift amongst Senior Managers, positioning Scotland as a forward thinking, commercial nation.