Southampton

The city of Southampton in the largest settlement on south coast of England. It has the largest port in the UK and the longest medieval walls, is the home of the WWII Spitfire plane and fibre optics, and is the place from where the Mayflower and the Titanic sailed. However, Southampton also has a city centre that never fully recovered from the destruction of WWII, limited access to one of its main assets (the waterfront) and struggles with economic and social deprivation in some of its wards. In short, Southampton is a city with a rich heritage, but also an uncertain future. The City Council first hired Placebrands to design a programme that helps reconnect the citizens of the city to the sea through a series of sea-based and sea-themed events surrounding the annual Boat Show (the biggest yachting exhibition in the UK). The result is a programme called Sea City that initially runs for three years and offers a mix of larger and smaller attractions for Sotonians.

Subsequently, the city hired Placebrands to create a Brand Partnership of the city’s key stakeholders, to help develop a Brand Strategy for the city and the marketing and action plan for its implementation. This work is now completed and it helps the city to plot a future course that ensures its sustainable competitiveness and provides pride and prosperity to its community. This project is supported by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Southampton’s Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).