Castle Point

Whilst some businesses have remained open, footfall decreased up to 70% in the height of the pandemic, for which local economies paid the price. With another lockdown looming, the timing for this campaign was precarious with the challenges we needed to negate including:

• Driving footfall to town centres, whilst keeping rates of COVID-19 transmissions low
• Encouraging COVID-19 safe behaviours, such as wearing a mask, washing hands, and keeping your distance
• Creating an attractive shopping, leisure, and hospitality proposition for both businesses and residents
• Supporting new, digital ways of working for businesses to engage residents and promote spending
• Creating and initiating a ‘Plan B’ should a lockdown ensue and businesses face restrictions

• Acted as a badge of honour approach – recognisable, Borough-wide
• Delivered a community-focused, business-led message platform
• Created standout local content against a backdrop of national messaging
• Provided integrated events and initiatives that brought the campaign to life
• Inspired audiences to join a local loyalty scheme and access local events and offerings online
• Provided localised visual marketing across key shopping areas including Benfleet, Canvey Island, Hadleigh, Tarpots and Thundersley village

Within the current climate, digital assets gave us the agility needed to switch to Plan B should another lockdown occur. It also gave us the capacity to change offers, events and local happenings as and when the businesses required – keeping the campaign up-to-date and in real-time as much as possible.

Shops and hospitality businesses needed the support of consumers more than ever, so incentivising them to return with high street updates was crucial to our approach. We created Choose Local – a memorable, authentic brand that stood out against a backdrop of national safety messages. Through this programme, we promoted an exclusive loyalty scheme, by engaging businesses to sign up, share offers and events to encourage engagement from local residents. By rallying local workers we were able to bring real faces and voices to the promotional content, disseminated across a range of mediums including a directory website, social media advertising, events, and OOH to inspire the general public.

Retail businesses, leisure centres, and cultural venues have also been positively impacted – with digital trading opportunities and support readily received, to tackle post COVID-19 consumer attitudes. Across the locality, almost all businesses have been retained and are optimistic for the future of the local economy and the continuation of services.