The shortlist for the 2024 Marketing Society Scotland Star Awards has been published, and the The Union is delighted to see that it has gained a total of 15 nominations.

The annual Star Awards, held by the Marketing Society in Scotland, set the benchmark for the most effective and notable campaigns from across the marketing community in Scotland and the rest of the UK. Client and agencies set out to establish how their work demonstrates best in class marketing strategy, creativity and impact. From hundreds of entries across 18 key categories, independent panels of judges select the best case studies for the shortlist. The winners will be announced at an awards dinner on 20th June this year.

The Union, and group companies Union Direct and Union Connect, gained 11 nominations for client case studies. Clients nominated included The Scottish Government, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Zero Waste Scotland, schuh, The Data Lab and Scottish Widows. The agency is nominated across 7 categories; Marketing & Planning Insights, Marketing in Society, Brand Experience, Digital Communication, Financial and Professional Services, Public Sector and Retail & Hospitality.

Three agency staff have also been nominated for individual awards. Louise Killough, Deputy Managing Director of The Union has been nominated for Inspirational Agency Leader of the Year, Jordan Barnhart, Account Manager at The Union, for Rising Agency Star, and Diarmuid Corkery, Art Director at The Union, for Rising Creative Star. Finally the the agency has been nominated for Agency of the Year. The agency has also secured the highest number of nominations on the shortlist.

(L-R) Louise Killough, Jordan Barnhart and Diarmuid Corkery have all been nominated for individual awards.

(This is the 25th year in a row the agency has made it to the Agency of the Year shortlist, winning the accolade three times since 2015, and winning 62 awards in the same period.)

The Union has won 62 Star Awards since 2015, winning Agency of the Year three times.

Over 40 agencies and clients have been nominated, indicating the health of the industry in Scotland.

The agency’s Chair, Ian McAteer, commented on the shortlist. “The sheer volume of entries and number of agencies making the shortlist clearly demonstrates the competitiveness of the marketing industry in Scotland. We are delighted that our hard work has paid off; even to gain a nomination is a ‘win’ in our eyes. But of course we know that it’s even harder to win an award, so we will attend the awards more in hope than expectation. Whatever happens, we’ll aim to have a fun night. It’s a great evening for rewarding our passionate Unionites and sharing time with our wonderful clients; a lot of effort and thought goes into preparing an entry. We also wish all nominees the best of luck, as an industry it is a great opportunity to celebrate what’s best about the marketing community in Scotland.”

You can book tickets for the Awards Dinner to be held at the O2 Academy Edinburgh on Thursday 20 June 2024 here.