Brighton place branding campaign encourages visitors back to seaside city

British seaside resort Brighton was previously privilege to visitors from the UK and abroad. But, with the onset of Covid-19, numbers of tourists and day-trippers have plummeted/ It has launched a place brand campaign to reposition Brighton.

Creative agency Designate launched ‘Never Normal,’ a campaign for VisitBrighton that subverts the phrase ‘the new normal’ to emphasise that Brighton couldn’t do normal if it tried and that’s what makes it special. It  focused on its free-thinking nature and unusual heritage buildings.

The campaign combines eye-catching imagery and a creative tone of voice to showcase its offbeat culture and encourage Brighton residents and visitors to escape the mundanity of this year with a trip to the city.

According to creative director of Designate, Faye Carré, the agency shows to cut through the depressing and repetitive communications associated with Covid-19 to deliver a campaign which uncovers the uniqueness of the place brand.

“During the pandemic we were monitoring how people were responding to communications around coronavirus and we knew that audiences were tired of hearing the same gloomy phrases and the bleak messaging,” she says. “Our unconventional campaign is full of life, subversive and has flex to work across the ever-changing coronavirus restrictions. But crucially it also has life beyond the pandemic – Brighton will definitely never be normal.”

There are four phases to the campaign which include initially targeting Brighton residents, then day trippers from around the South East, followed by family and friends of residents who might want to plan an overnight stay and finally looking to long-stay visitors and even those from overseas. It features well-known Brighton characters alongside the phrase, ‘Welcome to Never Normal Brighton,’ and the iconic Royal Pavilion, illuminated at night with the tagline: ‘We’ve always been open to the unusual.’

“We understood that the people and the culture will make people want to visit much more than a traditional sunset beach shot. This campaign functions as a rallying cry and reminds us about what’s amazing about this city and celebrates it,” says executive director at Designate, Adam Hill.