Leeds: a real success story.

Leeds is about to launch a branding initiative with the intention of putting itself firmly on the national and international maps. The exercise will be the first time the city has ever been badged under an all-encompassing brand identity – a look that will be masterminded by local agency Thompson.
Thompson secured the much sought-after brief following a hotly contested pitch with two other local agencies, believed to be Brahm and Poulter Partners. It now has the high-profile challenge of creating a cohesive “umbrella” brand that will appear on all future activities concerning the marketing and promotion of the city to internal and external audiences.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to create a brand that truly reflects this great city,” commented Thompson chairman and creative director Ian Thompson. “This is all about capturing the essence of Leeds and delivering it in a powerful and authentic way. Whatever we do will have to be real and define what it is that makes Leeds different from other cities.”
The project is currently being driven by the Leeds City Image Task Group, a body made up of private and public interested parties. One of their key priorities is said to be the formulation of a marketing strategy for the city, and the branding process is regarded as the first, all-important step on this journey. The newly created Marketing Leeds organisation will also become heavily involved once it has established itself and appointed a chief executive.
Thompson MD Phil Dean expanded on the job the team now faces: “Nothing like this has ever been done for Leeds before. It’s obviously a great city and over the past ten years it’s been transformed. It’s a real success story. However, the problem was really that Leeds doesn’t have an image as such. The people who live here are immensely proud of the place, but ask an international audience what they think of when they think ‘Leeds’ and they might struggle. It’s up to us to help change that and enforce a positive perception of Leeds – an image that the city deserves.”
The identity is expected to launch in early 2005, at which time a major PR push is mooted.