Member Article

Region's passion rubbing off nationally

A campaign to raise the profile of the North East has resulted in a two-fold increase in the number of people who say they know a fair amount about the region, according to the team behind the initiative. The Passionate People Passionate Places campaign was launched in May 2005 and features iconic landmarks and people who are passionate about the region to highlight its best assets. Since its launch, it has been promoted across the UK, including on television adverts, in national newspapers, in airports, trains, and in taxis.According to new research, an extra 75,000 people in North East England now say they are likely to speak highly of the region without any prompting, taking the estimated figure of regional advocates to approximately 550,000. Overall, more than two in five people (44%) within the region and one in six (16%) of the target audience outside the region say they have seen some element of the campaign. The survey, conducted by the Wood Holmes Group, tested regional and national opinions about the Regional Image marketing campaign as well as general levels of awareness of the region. Chris Lines, Head of PR at One NorthEast, said: “A key strength of the campaign is the broad mix of media used to communicate messages about the region. This varied approach ensures that people outside the region are able to build better general awareness of North East England as well learn about specific elements that are of interest to them. Our increased investment in tourism marketing, which also uses the ‘Passionate people. Passionate places’ themes, adds weight to the campaign. The result is that people are much more inclined to visit the region and have positive feelings about it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .