This boutique hotel on the idyllic Hebridean Isle of Islay has one of the finest links golf courses in the world. Its remote location is both a challenge and an opportunity. It needed an authentic brand proposition to inspire its marketing and help it compete.

The solution lay in uniting both sides of the business, hotel and golf course. One destination, one narrative, one team.

We picked Pioneers perfectly suited to the task: a digital-first brand strategist and a communications specialist with considerable experience in hospitality and luxury between them. These senior professionals had a client-side mindset and got to work fast.

Our discovery work included a marketing audit and a series of workshops. These pointed to the fact that the brand was inseparable from its location. Islay needed to be celebrated at every opportunity. We pinned down a new definition of the brand and developed a comprehensive marketing plan to be rolled out across social, website and PR.

Throughout, we were fully integrated into the client team, even consulting on the recruitment of a Brand Manager. This was essential to equip the business with know-how and operational confidence and ensure they could implement the activity with absolute focus.

The project was about future-proofing a business that deserved to shine as much as its surroundings. And, The Machrie’s recent flurry of prestigious awards serves as a testament.