A top London marketing agency is helping build worldwide recognition of the name 'Shetland' as a distinctive brand for quality goods and services.

The idea behind the islands' biggest ever marketing initiative is to boost seafood, knitwear and other export industries and encourage tourism, creating new jobs to compensate for a smaller-scale oil industry - and attracting investors to Britain's most northerly community.

Corporate Edge, recently appointed by Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Enterprise and local industry associations, will develop a new commercial image for Shetland and a long-term strategy for raising its profile in global markets.

This will lead to a sustained campaign promoting Shetland as an ideal place to buy from, invest in and visit. One part of this campaign is likely to be a distinctive new logo to 'hallmark' Shetland products and services.

Iain Muir, Shetland Enterprise's marketing adviser, said there could be huge benefits for the economy: "Shetland has a long and proud history of export success, but markets are now more competitive and more demanding than in the past. Unless we can rise to these expectations of the market we'll suffer the consequences of missed opportunity.

"Fortunately, Shetland has a tremendous asset in its people and as a place, and developing a brand for Shetland will go a long way towards making all our products more attractive, and help underpin our economy for the future," Mr Muir said.

Corporate Edge worked on the successful development of a brand for New Zealand in the 1990s and more recently has helped raise Visit Scotland's profile.  The agency's approach includes detailed local consultation to hear islanders' views on how to market Shetland. 

Speaking after meetings in Shetland with local business people and community leaders, Creenagh Lodge, chairman of Corporate Edge, said: "The idea is best expressed in the words of one Shetland entrepreneur as 'giving Shetland back to Shetland'; to reclaim its reputation for quality products, a clean, beautiful environment and a people with a strong sense of their own identity; and to use this to Shetland's economic advantage.  For it to succeed it must be as acceptable to the people of Shetland as it is persuasive to the rest of the world."

Kevin Moreland, marketing officer with Shetland Islands Council said: "For decades imitators have passed off sweaters as 'Shetland Knitwear'. Efforts to register the Shetland trade name for our hosiery and seafood have had only limited success due to 'Shetland' becoming a generic term. Now we're mounting a serious, well-organised project to reclaim our name and promote Shetland as an instantly recognised brand name, worldwide."