City centre retailers are celebrating a euphoric night at the Purple Apple Awards in London,
organised by the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) to recognise and reward best
practice in marketing.
Birmingham was named Best City Centre in the Strategic/Overall Campaign category for its
Christmas 2006 retail marketing activity, which was a Birmingham City Centre Partnership and Retail Birmingham initiative, managed by Marketing Birmingham. The ‘Unbelievable’ creative was developed by KLM in Moseley.
The entry was also one of the five highest scoring winners at the event, meaning that
Birmingham will now represent UK city centres at the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) Fall Conference and Trade Exposition in New Orleans later this year.
Jenny Inglis, City Centre Director at Birmingham City Centre Partnership said: “The
‘Unbelievable’ campaign presented Birmingham as a joined up, one-stop shopping destination, highlighting the variety and quality available and by pooling resources we were able to target national media that would have been difficult for individual retailers and shopping centres to reach on their own.
“Christmas is a key time for any shopping destination and it was agreed that by working
together we could make a greater impact on a wider audience.
“The results were excellent, with an increase in footfall and spend above expectations and the
award is thoroughly deserved.”
Dave Hodgson, Marketing Director at Marketing Birmingham said: “’Unbelievable’ was an
important campaign in helping to improve perceptions of Birmingham and its world-class retail
offer. We must give great credit to KLM, the creative agency who developed the ‘Unbelievable’
concept and brought the campaign to life.
“The success of the campaign and the recognition it has now received from the BCSC highlights the importance of organisations across the city joining up and working in partnership and the excellent results that can be achieved.”
The ‘Unbelievable’ campaign included national newspaper and television advertising, outdoor
advertising at key locations around the region and leaflet distribution through the Sunday Times, as well as online and PR activity. Birmingham City Council also adopted the branding to promote events in the city centre such as the Frankfurt Market and to continue the consistent look to encourage the public to engage with it.
Jon Derry, Chairman of KLM said: “The shopping facilities in Birmingham city centre are of such a high standard that it was our pleasure to work on the Christmas marketing campaign. Our ‘Unbelievable’ theme was designed to be sophisticated yet inclusive and to be able to adapt to different uses. We’re thrilled that the campaign has won this award.”
The trip to New Orleans will enable UK retailers to share experiences with their international
counterparts, and take in the MAXI Awards, organised by the ICSC which has members in 86
countries worldwide.
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