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Glasgow's miles better
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glasgow's miles better was a campaign in the 1980s to promote the city of Glasgow for tourism and as a location for industry. Glasgow had previously suffered from a reputation as a hard-drinking, gang-ridden, working-class town. The campaign focussed on the cultural richness of the city, its environment (more parkland per head of population than any other city in Europe), its mild climate and its suitability for enterprise. The result was a very significant change in the way Glasgow was viewed from the outside.
The catch-phrase is a famous example of a null comparative. Better than what? Than its reputation? Than Edinburgh? Than it used to be? The deliberate vagueness was certainly part of the success of the campaign.
In later phases of the campaign the catch-phrase was adapted in a number of ways, such as "Glasgow smiles better".