Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City, has reimagined its city brand to showcase its strengths and seize an opportunity for growth, backed by unprecedented government investment.
The Destination Plymouth team has consulted with local businesses, residents and students, commissioning two specific pieces of work which have helped to inform the new strategy and key storylines for the city. The work has been funded by key city partners, including Babcock, Princess Yachts, University of Plymouth, The Box and UK Shared Prosperity funding via Plymouth City Council.
The team worked with global branding consultants DNCO to create new ways of thinking about the city, which form the key storylines in the brand strategy. The narratives include:
- ‘We’re charting an exciting future‘ – highlighting the current city centre transformation alongside a broader £6 billion pipeline investment.
- ‘Over 500 years of innovation‘ – reflecting the city’s heritage and its evolution from port town to leading centre for marine research, marine autonomy and naval defence.
- ‘The horizons are bigger here‘ – showcasing the huge growth potential and career opportunities with over 25,000 jobs over the next decade in the city.
- ‘Plymouth’s creativity knows no bounds‘– highlighting the city’s growing creative industries and production sector.
- ‘The city wild about nature’ – the only UK city to be between a national park and national marine park with multiple designations of protected marine and green spaces.
- ‘A community that goes beyond‘ – nearly one third of the city’s population are active volunteers. Plymothians are welcoming, supportive and fiercely loyal to each other. There are multiple grassroots organisations and a real community spirit across the city.
Babcock’s Business Planning Director, Brendan Staniforth said, “We are proud to have supported the campaign to redefine Plymouth’s marketing and brand strategy. This is a vital step in shaping how we attract people to live, work and invest in our city which has bold and inclusive growth ambitions, and one we are excited to be part of.”
Joy Nazzari, Founder of DNCO, explained, “The six storylines reflect what we saw and heard when we spent time in Plymouth, a city of remarkable heritage, world-class natural assets, economic potential and a community that is both warm and forward-looking. DNCO has worked in cities across the world, but Plymouth is distinctive, a city of substance and opportunity with growing national and international relevance. We wanted to capture that with authenticity, which is why we ran a series of co–creation workshops and open sessions to listen carefully to the people who know it best and to reflect what they value most about the place they call home.”
To find out more go to www.visitplymouth.co.uk.
