Creative Concern has launched its campaign to change the enduring misperceptions that haunt what is still often referred to as ‘Europe’s largest council estate’.
However, contrary to previous misperceptions about the task itself, this is not a re-branding of Wythenshawe, it is “an image campaign.”
That was the message inculcated to How-Do by Creative Concern senior advocate Margaret Blackburn.
“We haven’t created a new name for the area or one brand,” she explained. “What we’re looking to do is to shift people away from always focusing on the negative when it comes to Wythenshawe and tell the real, positive story of the area.”
This reference to ‘real’ reveals the lynchpin concept behind the work.
Blackburn explained that the word – perhaps the closest thing there is to the idea of a brand or ‘device’ - has been used across the campaign to communicate the truth about life in the district.
Locals getting involved...
“We’re using real people telling their real stories,” she imparted, “that’s the best way to demonstrate what Wythenshawe is actually like.”
The form that this campaign, christened ‘Real Lives Wythenshawe’, is taking is still a matter that appears to be in development.
It launched last night with an exhibition and short film premiere at the Forum facility, featuring images of Wythenshawe residents conveying positive aspects about their own lives in their home district.
These images, pictured, will now be set to appear across printed campaign material and online.
However, further details of how they will be used and what form and media channels the campaign will take on are currently unclear.
“This is very much phase one,” said Blackburn. “We’re talking with the client about how to take it forward and launch the next stages.”
When asked if this would include outdoor media and signage around Wythenshawe she answered that this would be a likely channel for dissemination.
Engagement with the local populace, she noted, was key.
... of all shapes and sizes
The £30,000 campaign has been funded through a partnership between Manchester City Council, Wythenshawe Forum Trust, Parkway Green Housing Trust, St Modwen and Marketing Manchester.
It gained approval from local focus groups prior to launch and Creative Concern has recruited a number of Wythenshawe residents and business people to act as ‘ambassadors’.
In an official statement from the partnership spearheading the campaign, Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The image of Wythenshawe is out of date.
“The people of Wythenshawe deserve an image that reflects where they live and the strides that have already been taken in regenerating the area.
“A poor image of where you live can be detrimental to individuals, communities, business and the sustainability of a place.”
He continued: "This is not about glossing over Wythenshawe's problems, we recognise that it still faces many challenges.
“The campaign is about sharing the people of Wythenshawe's sense of pride and community spirit with others.
“A positive image encourages regeneration and we all need to look to the future and to a successful Wythenshawe."
News of the initiative to re-assess/re-brand the area was first reported on How-Do a year ago, with initial feedback suggesting that the campaign would launch in the summer.
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