Summer campaign to champion Scotch labels and the farmers behind them

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) will launch its five-week summer campaign on 14 July as part of its ongoing efforts to grow public understanding and awareness of what the blue Scotch labels stand for—and to encourage more people across Scotland to choose Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork.

At the heart of the campaign is a simple goal: to emotionally connect consumers with the quality, care and commitment shown across the supply chain that makes Scotch some of the best red meat in the world. It showcases the expertise and high-welfare standards behind the Scotch labels, and the pride farmers feel in being part of a trusted, whole-of-life, whole-of-supply-chain quality assurance scheme.

The multi-media campaign will lead with STV and is complemented by an upweight on Sky TV, running alongside digital, paid social and radio. It’s expected to reach at least 70% of Scottish adults, delivering a clear message: great food starts with Scotch.

The campaign sees the return of the much-loved ‘When you know, you know’ 30-second adverts, celebrating the people and stories behind the label. These are complemented by new ‘Start with Scotch’ brand films, which offer summer recipe inspiration and highlight the versatility of Scotch-assured red meat across a wide range of meal occasions.

One of this year’s campaign highlights is a new ‘STV Brand Story’, airing during July. It follows a day in the life of South Lanarkshire farmers Jennifer and John Struthers, third-generation cattle and sheep producers, as they share what Quality Assurance means in practice—from day-to-day livestock and land management to their pride in seeing the Scotch label on-shelf. And it seems the family farm already has the next generation in waiting, with 4-year-old Angus eager to pick up the reins and making his TV debut!

Alongside TV, the campaign will run across digital radio streaming platforms, podcasts, YouTube, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), with a suite of digital and influencer content, as well as some delicious new summer recipes hosted at makeitscotch.com.

Emma Heath, Director of Marketing at QMS, said: “Our ‘When you know, you know’ campaign first launched in September last year, and we’ve seen some really positive results to date, showing that the message is resonating with consumers. At QMS, we are proud to celebrate all the hard work that Scottish farmers put in to produce sustainable, high-welfare, quality-assured red meat 365 days a year.

“This campaign continues to amplify all the stories and proof points behind our brands using ‘real’ people, and I’m particularly excited to see Jennifer and John Struthers bring to life what farmers do—making this part of the Scotch story even more visible and helping shoppers understand the true meaning behind our famous blue labels when they see them in store.

“We are already planning autumn and Christmas campaigns to maintain the increases in awareness and positive perception of Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork.”

For more information on the brands, recipes and more, visit www.makeitscotch.com.