Member Article

Magic in the air at Albert Dock Liverpool

Albert Dock Liverpool is the focus of a new international photography campaign to showcase the popular attraction at the heart of the iconic Liverpool Waterfront.

Magic In The Air is the premise of the campaign featuring the stunning Grade I listed Albert Dock, showcasing its magnificent and dominant architecture in a spectacular new light with a real sense of wonder.

The new imagery will be used across a number of marketing channels to promote the City and wider Liverpool City Region as a leading international destination to visit, live, work and play. Marketing Liverpool will feature the campaign in its destination place marketing.

Award winning photographer Craig Easton, and acclaimed creative director and producer, Brigid Benson, were commissioned to create spectacular new images of Albert Dock and the Liverpool Waterfront based on their experience of creating distinctive and bespoke imagery to promote clients and brands around the world, including VisitBritain’s overseas campaign for the Olympics 2012.

Craig and Brigid, who are originally from Wirral, were commissioned by Albert Dock and Marketing Liverpool to create these striking new images of the destination, which holds the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Sue Grindrod, chair of Albert Dock Estate, said: “Our ambition was to create a new set of imagery of Albert Dock to inspire a real sense of excitement, capturing the essence of the Dock and what we have to offer. The attraction is full of life, history and character, and we have worked very closely with Craig, Brigid and their team to create this brand new view of Liverpool. We are delighted with the final result, and we are excited about sharing these new images.”

With the working title of Magic In The Air, Brigid devised the creative concepts for the project to reveal Albert Dock and the Liverpool Waterfront in an astounding new light – inspired by a quote from Prince Albert in 1846: “I have heard of the greatness of Liverpool but the reality far surpasses the expectation.”

This is also a significant year for Albert Dock, as 2013 marks the 25th anniversary of Albert Dock as a visitor attraction. The special celebratory year has also seen ITV’s This Morning programme return to its original home for a special one-off live show to mark its 25th birthday.

Albert Dock plays a key role in Liverpool City Region’s thriving Visitor Economy. The former 19th Century dock is the UK’s largest group of Grade I listed buildings, attracting approximately five million visitors each year – making it Liverpool’s most visited free attraction and one of Britain’s top heritage attractions.

Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy now generates £3.4billion to the local economy, attracts 56 million visitors and supports 46,000 jobs annually.

Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, added: “The Waterfront, with the Albert Dock at its heart, represents what’s so special about Liverpool but we did not have an image that really captured the special nature of what we have to offer. We were therefore delighted to partner the Albert Dock, Brigid and Craig in providing us with a set of images that we can use to demonstrate what a unique Waterfront we have – and we are delighted with the outcome. I have no doubt that these images will significantly enhance our ability to attract and win business for Liverpool.”

Craig’s accolades include Cutty Sark Award for Worldwide Travel Photographer of the Year 2012; Best Commissioned Design Series in the Association of Photographers Awards 2012; voted one of The Best 200 Advertising Photographers Worldwide by Luerzers Archive 2012/2013 and 2014/2015.

Photographer Craig Easton said: “Having worked all over the world it was fantastic to shoot in Liverpool and have an opportunity to show the City in a new light. With the help of a great team and many volunteers, we installed over 50kW of floodlighting and 700 metres of festoon lighting around the Dock and on the ship, ZEBU. At times in extremely testing weather conditions, everyone pulled together to make the shoot possible and help translate Brigid’s vision into a reality. The images will enable people to see the destination through fresh eyes.”

Brigid is the author of award wining books, 52 Weekends By The Sea, and 52 Weekends In The Country. One of her fondest achievements is developing the concept to stage a concert by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra beneath the River Mersey, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queensway Tunnel in 1994.

Creative director and producer Brigid Benson commented:“The commission from Albert Dock and the City of Liverpool was an opportunity not to be missed – working on home ground, creating exciting new images to promote my City in a new light throughout the UK and the world was a privilege and a pleasure. We achieved the imagery with great support from people throughout the City, including the crews of ships ZEBU and Kathleen And May, Liverpool Watersports Centre, and Liverpool Film Office.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Louise Wall .