Case study – Flying Scotsman
Full steam ahead! 100 years of Flying Scotsman
The brief
Riot was hired by the Science Museum Group to lead on PR for the centenary of one of its most famous items: Flying Scotsman, the star object of the National Railway Museum’s National Collection. Our brief was to raise awareness of the locomotive and its big birthday both nationally and internationally and to support commercial products and partnerships in the anniversary year.
Our approach
We began a year of activity with an unmissable launch day at Kings Cross station, including a photocall featuring Flying Scotsman sitting on the platform ‘in full steam’. Michael Morpurgo read his new children’s book marking the centenary to local schoolchildren and guests included the granddaughters of the first Black train driver of Flying Scotsman.
The anniversary day itself was a celebration of all things Scottish at Waverley Station, with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers present to capture the attention of local media.
Throughout the anniversary year we coordinated all PR activity, acting as the central hub for media enquiries and stakeholders, creating key messages and a comprehensive timeline with flagship moments, and developing assets, feature ideas and a cohort of spokespeople to engage different target audiences.
