Yeah, that slogan caught my eye, too.
The North Highland Initiative launched a campaign this year in an effort way to lure visitors to the so-called North Coast 500, a circular route that hugs the edge of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle.
Claire Farquhar, communications and project manager for the North Highland Initiative, explained in an email the North Coast 500 idea was formed last year and launched in February. However, it wasn’t the initiative that came up with the Route 66 link:
The connection to Route 66 came about in the early stages of press coverage as it was pinned as ‘Scotland’s answer’, I think the comparison comes from the focus on the brand as the key part of the route, and no other route is quite like the Route 66 in terms of brand recognition and value.
And the Mother Road link certainly got more attention from the media, including the headline above used in The Telegraph‘s report. It also got ink from The Guardian. Two Scottish newspapers gave it more publicity recently when a world-class cyclist rode the North Coast 500 nonstop in 38 hours.
Based on a few virtual excursions thanks to Google Street View, the North Coast 500 doesn’t resemble Route 66’s plethora of old-school diners, abandoned gas stations and the arid mountains and mesas of the Southwest. Nor is it close to Route 66’s length of 2,300 miles.
But the North Coast 500 boasts its share of independently owned inns, narrow but sparsely traveled roads and spectacular scenery. It has a lot going for it.
The North Coast 500 website also is terrific, especially its interactive map.
It isn’t the first time a foreign tourism bureau has used Route 66 to rebrand a road. Australia’s Newell Highway tried the same thing last year.
And several U.S. highways on U.S. shores have compared themselves to Route 66, as well.
Imitation appears to be the best form of flattery. But the North Coast 500 campaign is good enough, some tourism bureaus based on the real Route 66 ought to borrow a few ideas from it.
UPDATE: Mashable just published a picaresque story about the North Coast 500.
UPDATE2: And now Portugal has gotten in on the act.
(Image of the North Coast 500 by Steve Carter, courtesy of the North Highland Initiative)
I believe all of these foreign countries trying to promote roadways in their countries using a tie to Route 66 is a HUGE testament as to how popular – and yes, how revered – the Mother Road is overseas. While the number of things being advertised in the USA using Route 66 has greatly increased over the last 20 years — a lot more still could be done. And every time a foreign country uses Route 66 in their advertising, I see it as a win-win. Not only is their item advertised, but it reminds their audience Route 66 is here, waiting for them to come visit.