Tourist board Visit Manchester has appointed Creative Concern to handle a £25,000 'brand audit' of its Industrial Powerhouse visitor project.

Industrial Powerhouse was set up in 2004 to try to attract visitors to explore north west England's famed industrial past.

It promotes events celebrating this rich history and attractions including the Merseyside Maritime Museum primarily through its website.

Manchester-based Creative Concern will now carry out a study of the brand - investigating its "values, perceptions and performance" - so it can make recommendations on how the brand should proceed in future.

Creative Concern was appointed after a competitive pitch against five other agencies.

Its chief executive Steve Connor said: "Our response to the brief will be to investigate the positioning, personality, promotion, management and equity of Industrial Powerhouse.

"In doing so we're going to make sure that our delivery of our review will be not just looking at the brand; it will go further than tourism to research the political, historic and social structure of our region..."

Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, added: "Creative Concern has been tasked with an important role that will have a direct impact on perceptions of industrial heritage in the north west - one of the key drivers for tourism across the region."