Glasgow's miles better

Glasgow's Miles Better was a campaign to promote the city of Glasgow as a tourist destination and as a location for industry. It was developed by Scottish advertising agency, Struthers Advertising, and featured the phrase "Glasgow's Miles Better" wrapped around the cartoon figure of Mr Happy. It is regarded as one of the earliest and most successful attempts to rebrand a city in the world and was awarded a number of domestic and international awards.

It was launched by the then Lord Provost of Glasgow Michael Kelly in 1983. Glasgow had previously suffered from a reputation as a hard-drinking, gang-ridden, working-class town. The campaign focussed on the cultural richness of the city, its environment (more parkland per head of population than any other city in Europe), its mild climate and its suitability for enterprise. The result was a very significant change in the way Glasgow was viewed from the outside. The figure of Mr. Happy from the Mr. Men children's books appeared on posters and badges alongside the slogan.

The catch-phrase is a famous example of a null comparative. Better than what? Than its reputation? Than Edinburgh? Than it used to be? The deliberate vagueness was certainly part of the success of the campaign.

In later phases of the campaign the catch-phrase was adapted in a number of ways, such as "Glasgow smiles better".

References

* [https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/PublicRelations/Campaigns/glasgowsmilesbetter.htm History at Glasgow City Council Website]
* [http://www.theglasgowstory.com/story.php?id=TGSFC05 Development of the slogan by Lord Provost Michael Kelly]

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