BT division rebranded to add Scottish flavour

BT is looking at rebranding its Scottish division in an attempt to capture the country’s burgeoning sense of national identity.

A tartan logo is out, but in the light of devolution and the establishment of a National Assembly in early 2000, BT is looking at how to embrace a sense of “Scottishness”.

Specific marketing and regional advertising for BT Scotland are being considered.

A BT spokesman says: “Scotland is assuming a far stronger national identity and the people’s perception of ‘Scottishness’ is changing.

“If we could do anything to enhance the image, positioning and branding among customers in Scotland, we would consider it.”

Director BT Scotland Doug Riley has put together a team of ten experts from within the company to audit BT’s operations and advise on how to portray the importance of BT in Scotland.

BT employs more than 11,500 people in Scotland, has 3,500-plus Scottish suppliers and turns over 1bn in the country.

Riley decided to rebrand BT as BT Scotland when he took up his post in January; his job title was previously BT’s national manager for Scotland.

A BT Scotland spokesman says the regional interest in Scotland does fit in with BT’s global pretensions: “Scotland is different. We are a nation in our own right and a separate government will impact on BT Scotland.”