The Challenge
When Scotland qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, every brand wanted a piece of the moment. Without being an official tournament sponsor, Bank of Scotland needed a distinctive, earned-first campaign that felt authentically rooted in Scottish heritage rather than piggybacking on generic football hype. At the same time, Bank of Scotland was relaunching as the biggest, most connected bank in Scotland through a new brand platform we developed called Go On…
The Leithal Thinking
Instead of traditional sponsorship ads, we looked to Bank of Scotland’s unique 330-year legacy as Europe’s first bank to issue paper currency. We asked the bank to do something no fintech could do: immortalise the iconic Scott McTominay kick that sealed Scotland’s qualification against Denmark.
Working with local illustrator, Katie Smith, we developed 100 limited-edition £20 bank notes that embodied the Go On… ethos of pragmatism, optimism and charm. The campaign invited the nation to get involved directly through public auctions, a national prize draw, and experiential crack-the-code pop-up vaults in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Furthermore, 100% of auction and prize draw proceeds were donated to Crisis to help end homelessness in Scotland, giving Go On... a real social impact.
