Who is using the referendum to make great content?

As these brands show, says Amy Wilson, you can use the Scottish referendum as a hook to provide useful, entertaining or thought provoking content while also showing off your expertise or product.

The first credit goes to Irn Bru, whose clever, funny adverts are almost as beloved in Scotland as the drink itself. This one, featuring a new English boyfriend, taps into a patriotic mood without declaring its stance.

The Electoral Commission has come up with this very beautiful ad campaign for the ordinarily humdrum subject of voter registration forms, which has gained traction on social media sites such as YouTube as a result, a possible first for a bit of admin.

The Let’s Stay Together campaign, for pro-union supporters outside Scotland, have created a sort of digital clap-o-meter called Scottish Heartstrings allowing people to vote for their favourite Scottish band, invention, sportsperson and so on, and overlaying them on a map of the UK. It’s an interesting potential way to create an online rallying point for people interested in the debate all over the world.

What all the content above has in common is that it is shareable – the kind of thing people might want to send to their friends and relatives to read or watch or take part in. Choosing a subject that arouses passions the way Scottish independence does gives your content marketing an advantage from the off – it is far more likely to be read and passed on or posted beyond your core audience.