A striking campaign featuring images of Kent run across London in 2012 to raise awareness of the county as a great place to visit won a coveted Silver Award in the Travel Marketing Awards announced on Thursday (March 21).
Visit Kent’s Kent Contemporary poster campaign, in the capital and across the south-east, featured eye-catching photographs of Botany Bay at Broadstairs, Dover Castle, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Turner Contemporary at Margate, and The Plough Inn, an historic public house owned by Shepherd Neame, at Lewson Street, near Sittingbourne.
Visit Kent was the only UK destination management organisation (DMO) to receive an award at the Travel Marketing Awards 2012, which attracted entries from major travel and tourism companies.
The Kent Contemporary 2012 campaign, delivered by Visit Kent in partnership with Kent County Council, saw quirky images of the Garden of England with a 21st century twist displayed across London’s rail and tube network.
The campaign, designed by M&C Saatchi, included commissioning a top photographer, Jean Luc Benard, to capture images that would encourage visitors to take a fresh look at the delights to be discovered on London’s doorstep.
The judges said they were particularly impressed by the campaign results with independent research verifying that it generated a 65:1 return on investment and an £18 million boost to the county’s visitor economy.
Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, said:
“This is a tremendous accolade for a marketing campaign that is competing with the best in the country at the highest level.
“The artwork is stunning and memorable in its own right. But even more importantly, the campaign is delivering results bringing more visitors into our county for day trips and short breaks year on year.
“And with HS1 it has never been easier for people in London to head into Kent to explore our magnificent coast, our castles and our cathedrals, and our superb countryside.”
Lynnette Crisp, head of marketing at Visit Kent, said:
“Tourism and travel are highly competitive marketplaces. The outstanding success of the delivery of this marketing campaign – working with Kent County Council, our Kent business partners and our designers – has seen Visit Kent recognised alongside such major players as British Airways, Thomson, Virgin Atlantic and First Choice.”