Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictional detective, became the first literary character to have his own tartan approved by the Scottish Register of Tartans. Created by a descendant of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s family, the launch of the tartan offered a platform for PR coverage. With limited budget and previous news coverage of the new tartan, the launch needed a strong newshook and photograph. With targets including Scottish, UK and international textile and clothing buyers, some of our media team of former journalists created a concept for the launch photograph. Central to the picture was the tartan itself, the creator’s son dressed as Sherlock Holmes, and an appearance by a photogenic deerhound, Lyra. We achieved (tartan) blanket coverage of the announcement and the picture was used widely across the UK in national and regional papers, in both print and online. Further pick-up was achieved internationally, with the website receiving wholesale orders and interest from as far afield as China.
