‘I will miss my customers across the north of Scotland and beyond’
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When Sheona Campbell began her career in the advertising team at the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier, a fax machine was the height of technology and the papers were still in black and white as they came rolling off the presses on-site at Union Street in Wick.
Thirty-five years on, as Sheona embarks on retirement, much has changed. The papers are still going strong – in full colour now, albeit no longer printed locally – while the digital side has become increasingly important across all aspects of the industry.
Good old-fashioned personal service remains as vital as ever, though, and Sheona has been the embodiment of this in the thoroughly professional yet friendly way she has dealt with her many customers in Caithness and Sutherland and across the north.
Ahead of her last day as advertisement manager with Highland News and Media, responsible for the Groat and Courier and Northern Times, Sheona has been reflecting on her varied role and how times have moved on.
She began working with North of Scotland Newspapers in 1989 as advertisement sales representative, dealing with display advertising for business clients.
“This role took me all over the county and I also covered the Thurso office classified ads when required,” Sheona recalled. “At that time we also undertook commercial printing of leaflets, programmes, raffle tickets and wedding stationery in our Wick premises.
“I would take the print orders from customers and then deliver across the county, sometimes to the back of beyond! In the pre-satnav days, this could be tricky to say the least but I always got there in the end.
“In addition to the regular day job, I also enjoyed proofreading the many books we published, although I found Wick of the North [a hardback running to over 800 pages] particularly challenging at 2am!
“The core part of my duties was, of course, advertising and many of the businesses I dealt with in the early days no longer exist due to the changing face of retail.
“I took over as advertisement manager in 2006 and myself and colleagues enjoyed many happy years in the Groat office until March 2020 when national lockdown came into force. The office in Golspie closed, the Wick premises were sold and the editorial office was relocated to Harbour Terrace. At that time I took over all the advertising for the Northern Times too.”
The past three-and-a-half decades have seen rapid progress in technology.
“When I started, the papers were printed on the premises and I loved to hear the hum of the presses as they started up on a Tuesday and Thursday ready for printing that week’s papers,” Sheona said. “The Groat and Courier were broadsheets back then and were printed in black and white.
“The most technological piece of equipment was a fax machine, so Thursday would often see me run to the sorting office to see if a bromide had arrived for a particular ad to fill the space on the page. With the advent of the PC and email, this practice was thankfully no longer necessary and the whole procedure of placing ads changed.
“Time saw the papers evolve to full colour and they later changed to the smaller tabloid size, which was welcomed by most as it was easier to handle.
“Everything is now moving towards the digital editions and, although we have a good loyal print readership for the John O’Groat Journal, Caithness Courier and Northern Times, a hybrid approach works well and online advertising is hugely popular with our clients.”
Sheona says she will miss the contact she has enjoyed with clients.
“I will miss the people and relationships that were an integral part of my working week but there is satisfaction in knowing that I have helped promote many new businesses and events, building brand awareness to pave the way to their success,” she said.
“I will particularly miss my personal customers across the whole north of Scotland and beyond that I have had the pleasure of dealing with. Whether it’s placing a crofting ad or memoriam, acknowledgement or thank-you notice, the contact and friendship I’ve enjoyed with my customers has made my job very rewarding.”
Sheona will have a busy time in retirement.
“Looking to the future, I want to have more time to do all the things I’ve been putting off for years, such as painting, writing and a bit more gardening,” she said. “As secretary of the Wick, Canisbay and Latheron branch of Royal British Legion Scotland I will have more time to devote to my duties there and may even take on another voluntary role.
“My lovely granddog will be enjoying more frequent walks too. It will enable me to spend more time with my family and friends. There are a few trips planned already, so it looks as if my time will be well filled.
“I’m sad to be leaving, although I’m looking forward to everything that I’ll be able to make time for now. My customers can rest assured in the knowledge that they will be well looked after by my colleagues.”
For advertising queries, please contact Grace Macgregor on advertising@nosn.co.uk or grace.macgregor@hnmedia.co.uk or call 01955 602424 or 07780 245277.
