We’re lucky that Plymouth can boast a thriving community of small creative agencies and it’s testament to their collaborative nature that they recognise when the best option is to consider partnering up.
In 2023, we started collaborating with Dell’Anno Studio on two high-profile campaigns, both of which were focused specifically on driving footfall to Plymouth. The two campaigns were for Plymouth Waterfront Partnership (PWP) and The Box.
First up was PWP. Tasked with creating a visually cohesive theme across their Pirates Weekend, Seafest and Christmas Lights Switch on, we delivered a visual feast that appealed to every demographic. Although the events shared a similar illustrative theme, they also had signature differences that defined each one independently.
The execution of each event’s campaign saw an upgraded marketing mix including street decoration, outdoor advertising, literature and digital assets.
The events were a runaway success, with an impressive return. The campaigns attracted 90,000 more visitors than in 2022 and generated media coverage worth £1m and had an economic impact on the city of over £5m.
The Pirates event alone, attracted 35,000 people which was 40% up on 2022, while online animated content drove website traffic up 265% with social media seeing a 100% increase in reach.
Jon Walton, CEO of PWP said: “These events have always proved successful with the waterfront businesses and the people of Plymouth, but it was time to crank it up. This campaign was more grown up, more sophisticated and took these events onto the next level.”
One successful collaboration led to another when we teamed up again to support Plymouth’s iconic cultural landmark, The Box.
Between ourselves, we created an above-the-line campaign and site decoration to support the Summer of Light and Colour show, which showcased the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Rana Begum.
The creative married the styles of Reynolds and Begum, taking The Box down a creative path that was radically different from previous campaigns. It brought in over 88,000 visitors, generated media coverage of £760K, and achieved a reach of nearly 25 million. It also helped drive ‘year on year’ visitor numbers up by 40,000.
Commenting on the project, Abigail Netcott, from The Box said: “Working with these two agencies has been fabulous. Their combined experience has helped inject new life into our creative campaigns, all within a super-tight timeframe.”
The partnership with Dell’Anno Studio worked well because we have a shared belief in straight talking, accountability and transparency. The unique way in which we split the workload meant that the creative process was constantly challenged which resulted in a truly compelling result. This collaborative work demonstrates how local, high-profile clients don’t need to look outside the city or choose between one good team or another … they can have both, proving that unselfish collaborations can work. The economic impact of this creative partnership is proof of that.