Every brand needs a point of real difference: something it can own, which captures the imagination and rings true. It’s not always easy to find. But when Spring delved deep during our discovery phase, we knew from the off what the brand hook is.

Stories.

Norwich’s literary credentials are well-established as the only UNESCO City of Literature in England. UEA’s creative writing course is admired the world over. Norwich and its surroundings have spawned very many well known writers. The Writers Centre now nurtures and publicises city literature. Stories are the very lifeblood of this lovely city.

And of course, stories are the perfect way to share Norwich’s delights with a new audience, so Spring’s City Of Stories campaign unfolded in twelve chapters over three months, with tales from the city told in different formats, each and every one celebrating Norwich’s character and many distractions.

Backed by extensive social media deployment, City of Stories shared stories old and new over the three-month campaign online and in the real world. Residents and visitors were invited to ‘Live the Story’ by participating in live events in and around the city, while people seeking an original tale could visit venues around Norwich to collect drinks mats and bookmarks featuring new short fiction by written by local residents.

The campaign enjoyed fantastic engagement levels; our social media reached over 750,000 people, with fans growing from none to nearly 10,000 over the campaign period. Fans have grown by a further 25% since the campaign ended under the care of VisitNorwich.

A survey revealed that the campaign inspired 73% of respondents to visit – 23% of whom hadn’t been before.