Eye-pleasing Georgian architecture and a famous reputation for Geordie friendliness and hospitality aren’t the only assets that draw crowds to Newcastle every summer. Oh no. A packed programme of events from NE1 – the city’s business improvement district – ensures that there’s always something new and fun to experience, from zip-lining over the Tyne to pulling up a deckchair for a free outdoor movie. Being NE1’s end-to-end marketing partner gives us an excellent opportunity to immerse ourselves in the thick of it, starting with gathering audience insight and imagery each year for use in the next.
Ambitious plans call for ambitious campaigns, and for NE1 we create three in one: Summer In The City, Screen On The Green, and Newcastle Restaurant Week. All unique, yet all sitting comfortably under the NE1 brand umbrella.
Summer In The City
Encompassing everything from salsa to storytelling, musical interludes and the spectacular Screen On The Green, NE1’s Summer In The City puts the ‘new’ into Newcastle from June until September. Building on past successes, we captured the thrill of myriad moments using photography of people enjoying last year’s programme to bring this year’s marketing material to life.
Working closely with NE1 to plan and deliver a fully integrated campaign, we created a suite of assets for digital outdoor, radio, paid and organic social, Teads, and onboard advertising with Tyne and Wear Metro, as well as a reskin and associated assets for the event website www.ne1summerinthecity.co.uk.
Animated GIFs, A-board designs, hoarding designs for Play Rebellion (a free, outdoor play space with a difference for children of all ages), and a design for gian.t deck chairs also formed part of the mix. Our big favourites however have to be some of the smallest elements – a collection of little notes which were left around the city for people to pick up to, each containing a feelgood message to add some extra sunshine to someone’s day.
Screen On The Green
Now boasting a loyal following earned over previous summers, Screen on the Green is a free open-air cinema set in the city’s Old Eldon Square. It screens two films every day during the school holidays, from the schedule filled with family favourites, cult classics, rom-coms and other blockbuster titles. As part of the messaging for this year, NE1 was keen to promote the introduction of a themed offering: Musical Mondays.
Our campaign-within-a-campaign for Screen On The Green included pre-film animation and countdown animations for use on the big screen itself, as well as collateral for owned and paid social media, assets for NE1’s Get Into Newcastle website, Metro carriage cards, and survey cards which were distributed to moviegoers to log any feedback.
Newcastle Restaurant Week
NE1’s Newcastle Restaurant Week has become a major date on the calendar of foodies across the North East, and it’s not hard to see why. Who doesn’t like savings on food and drink from the best eateries in town?
The twice-yearly event has been going strong since 2011 with scores of restaurants throughout the city taking part, offering locals and visitors alike the chance to dine out in style for £10, £15 or £20 per person.
This sub-campaign evokes a slightly more premium feel whilst remaining in keeping with the NE1 brand, and spanned social media assets, posters, Teads ads, and window stickers for participating restaurants.
All part of a busy and exciting season for us, and seeing the public engagement and positive feedback makes our summer. Bring on the plans for next year!
To chat about how we can support your events, drop us a line at hello@differentnarrative.com