As a team that has not only a passion for Birmingham, but the Midlands as a whole, TeamEV were thrilled when Coventry BID approached us to take the lead on their marketing and events strategy, working alongside their long-standing PR agency, to promote both the city and the incredible businesses within the area.
This recommendation came on the back of our existing PR, marketing and events support for Lower Precinct, a shopping centre based in Coventry.
The Ask.
As Coventry BID welcomed Trish Willetts as its new BID Director, there was a huge opportunity for the city centre to raise its profile and boost local businesses. Adding to the existing work of Coventry City Council, the BID was keen to demonstrate added value to its members and provide shoppers, residents and stakeholders with an effective marketing and events strategy.
It was a crucial time for Coventry, with the BID preparing for re-ballot in 2018, the city planning its City of Culture programme, and new investment making its way to the city.
To make sure that the BID was not only being showcased for all the right reasons, but was also gaining the vital support that it needed ahead of the re-ballot for its third year, our task was ensure that the BID was continuing to focus on its four initial objectives: understanding its customers, improving perceptions, providing ‘the experience’, and retaining and growing the city’s customer base.
Our Approach.
With goals in place, we came up with a targeted, solid marketing plan that was broken up into a variety of categories, covering everything from building the messaging of the BID and putting the four core objectives listed above at the heart of everything the BID does; to hosting events, gaining media coverage and identifying and building partnerships to ensure that Coventry BID was positioning itself in the right way to secure those all-important votes ahead of the 2018 re-ballot.
As the campaign progressed, it gave us the opportunity to build on the BID’s existing foundations, which included making its website a must-visit destination for shoppers and residents. In addition to building the BID’s social media presence, not just to engage with local customers, but also attract visitors from further afield. This focus on digital marketing gave both us and the BID a chance to better understand its audience, providing greater opportunities for the BID and its partners and businesses to drive the right footfall.
By hosting a range of events and highlighting key projects, including the Christmas Lights Switch-On, Food Festival and Student Shopping Night – to name just a few – we were able to target a range of ages from young adults to families, showcasing everything that the BID had to offer, all while working alongside local bloggers and publications to gain further exposure.
End Results.
Working closely with Trish and the team, we helped Coventry BID affirm its position as the driving force for an exciting future for the city.
One of our key focuses was engaging BID members – including both national chains and independents – and we delivered on-the-ground visits to over 700 businesses. Informing them of our plans and providing regular updates on PR, marketing and events; as well as supporting with the re-ballot process, which saw Coventry BID successfully voted in in 2018.
We also supported the design agency through a rebrand process and managed the launch of a new website for coventrycitycentre.co.uk. This website became the go-to destination for everything to do with Coventry’s shopping, nightlife and leisure offer. This also linked to the social media accounts for the BID, which we helped create content for, driving both engagement and reach.
Added to this, we also helped deliver a number of large-scale events in the city centre – alongside the BID team and key partners – including the annual Christmas light switch on, which we secured Fleur East as headline act for; the Food Festival, which welcomed celebrity chef Jean Christophe-Novelli; and the city-centre wide student shopping event, welcoming over 10,000 students to the city’s stores. We also supported smaller events, including tenant engagement briefings and the first #CovHour meet-up.
