Branding
The Garden of England for the 21st Century
The conclusion of a series of facilitated workshops with stakeholders, run by external agency Blue Sail, was a real groundswell of opinion in favour of developing and strengthening the “Garden of England” – if it could be brought up to date and made to encompass the coast and cities, as well as the countryside.
- ‘Garden of England’ is simple, appealing and flexible – and it has emotional appeal
- It already exists as the Kent brand in many peoples’ minds - it’s in the national psyche
- The inclusion of ‘England’ underlines Kent’s quintessential Englishness, which is a strong part of its appeal and it gives it national status.
- It’s easy to understand – international markets may not know much about Kent but they do know about gardens and England
- It can be used imaginatively, and even radically, to shift perceptions and reposition Kent
A brand tool kit has been developed for Kent’s tourism industry (and wider stakeholders) to help stimulate ideas for their own marketing campaigns.
Whilst we do not want all tourism businesses in Kent to do the same thing we need to encourage consistency of message across all consumer touch points which potential visitors will see. Repetition of message promotes a very powerful image for Kent and differentiates it from its competitors – leading to more awareness, more impact and more visitors.
The tool kit was officially launched to the industry at Turner Contemporary on 17th February 2011.