Liverpool’s award-winning retail offering has been forged with its iconic UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront to become the focus of the city’s latest national advertising campaign, Christmas By Liverpool.
The campaign has been developed by key retail and transport Partners and co-ordinated by Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LCR LEP), which encompasses the City’s Region’s Tourist Board, VisitLiverpool.
Activity includes advertising in regional Press with a 4-page A4 glossy pull-out, adverts on regional radio stations, national digital advertising, large-scale 48-sheet poster sites on the London Underground, the Lime Street Media Wall, and VisitLiverpool’s e-comms and social media channels and consumer website www.VisitLiverpool.com.
Christmas By Liverpool also has its own bespoke microsite – www.christmasbyliverpool.com –
to help keep shoppers fully up-to-date with the destination’s festive activity. The microsite includes a comprehensive shopping map to help visitors find their way round the destination’s retail hotspots. The campaign will continue into the New Year with details of January sales and promotions.
The campaign is designed to attract Christmas shoppers and city breakers to the destination, while they experience the city’s strong cultural offer at the same time. The artwork also features stylish and eyecatching imagery of Liverpool ONE, Metquarter, Cavern Walks, Hotel Indigo Liverpool, BridgeStreet Apartments, and the city’s Christmas Lights.
The message also focuses on how easy it is to visit the city centre by using the Merseyrail network. With easy car parking and convenient bus links at Merseyrail stations, visitors can enjoy a frequent, reliable and cost-effective journey from across the North West.
There is also a competition to win a £1,000 shopping break in Liverpool – which includes retail gift cards, dinner, accommodation and entry into some of the city’s leading visitor attractions.*
The collateral includes details of all the festive attractions and events taking place across the city including the #IceFestival at Liverpool ONE; Dickensian Christmas evenings at Metquarter; Liverpool Christmas Market on Church Street, Lord Street and Whitechapel; Continental Village with Bandstand at Williamson Square; and Liverpool Winter Arts Market at St George’s Hall. There is also a Liverpool Christmas gift guide, which features the recently launched Beauty Bazaar, Harvey Nichols – the first concept store of its kind in the world.
The campaign is part of an investment project, co-ordinated by the national tourist board, VisitEngland, called Growing Tourism Locally. Funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF), this three-year project aims to grow domestic tourism and stimulate jobs around the country.
The LCR LEP has worked collaboratively with a number of private sector funding Partners, including Liverpool ONE, Metquarter, City Central BID, Merseyrail and Geraud Markets Liverpool Ltd.
Duncan Frazer, Commercial and Marketing Director at LCR LEP, commented: “Liverpool has so much to offer at Christmastime, from superb shopping to an array of culture across the city. We are delighted to be working with Liverpool Retail Partnership to deliver this regional and national advertising campaign to help raise awareness and position Liverpool as an exciting festive retail short break destination.
“Christmas By Liverpool is the latest in a series of VisitLiverpool destination marketing campaigns by the LCR LEP to raise awareness of the Liverpool offer. And by continuing to work collaboratively with key Partners and supported by VisitEngland, we are able to deliver extensive print and digital campaigns to promote the strong destination offer.”
Ged Gibbons, Chief Executive of City Central BID, said: “Liverpool city centre has so much to offer shoppers and visitors alike at Christmas and I’m delighted the LCR LEP has joined our Retail Partnership to tell that story. By working together we are delivering a message with much greater impact and to a much wider audience which, I’m sure, will have wide-ranging benefits for Liverpool’s economy at such a critical time of year.”
Jennina O’Neill, Metquarter Centre Manager, added: “The Retail Partnership sends a clear message that Liverpool has a vibrant and successful retail offer. We have welcomed many new and exciting retailers to Liverpool this year, providing both local shoppers and regional visitors with a great choice of high street, boutique and pop-up shops this Christmas.”
Merseyrail Managing Director, Maarten Spaargaren, said: “Merseyrail are delighted to be working in Partnership with local businesses to promote Liverpool as a destination this Christmas. Wherever you go in the city centre you are never far away from a Merseyrail station, so taking the train into Liverpool this Christmas couldn’t be easier.”
Donna Howitt, Marketing Director at Liverpool ONE, said: “Christmas is the most lucrative time of year for retailers across the city and working in partnership enables us to promote the entire retail offer across the whole city. Liverpool can compete on a national scale for its retail offer and it is one of the main drivers to the city in the lead up to Christmas. By joining forces we have a stronger voice that reaches far and wide.”
Managing Director Geraud Markets UK, Frederick Bonnet, added: “Geraud Markets Liverpool Ltd are delighted to be working with Liverpool Retail Partnership to deliver and promote Liverpool Christmas Market. The market has grown year on year and has become a real partner to all of the city’s activities at Christmas.”
Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy is a thriving industry which generates visitor spend of £3.1billion a year and is estimated to support 43,300 jobs.
Visitors can find out more about the campaign and the programme of events at www.christmasbyliverpool.com