‘Oh Manchester, so much to answer for’. So said Morrissey, one of the region’s most controversial spokespeople, in The Smiths’ track Suffer Little Children. Now a new ultra-short film is backing up the claim, and doing a fine job in destination marketing.
Created on behalf of Marketing Manchester by The Neighbourhood agency ahead of the annual Cannes MIPIM property expo, more than 50 locations across the area are included, soundtracked by homegrown troupe Modern Family Unit. And the video can’t help but give everyone who lives in Cottonopolis a sense of pride about the ever-changing landscape.
Here at Smoking Gun we couldn’t imagine positioning ourselves as ingenious without also being a PR agency in Manchester- our ethos fits so well with the city as a whole. Always looking to innovate, rethink, and reimagine to develop bold blueprints for future success, our agency helped tear up the rules on measurement, for example, in the same way that Manchester re-wrote the book on urban development. Twice.
[Tweet “@SmokingGunPR on #Manchester – The original modern city”]
The original modern city
Included in the film are places ranging from the newly restored Principal Hotel (formerly Palace)- an icon of heritage that can rival the country’s most prestigious accommodations- and the National Graphene Institute; the central serenity of Castlefield, arguably the birthplace-proper of the industrial revolution, to the mayhem of Manchester Airport, not to mention plenty lying in between. Showcasing sport, music, art, theatre, and the electric atmosphere currently coursing through every street and thoroughfare, there’s a lot more at work here than merely just boasting about what’s on offer.
The strapline- ‘The Original Modern City’- says it all really. For years now, Manchester has looked to sell itself on a long history of pushing things forward, whether that’s in the satanic mills or the development of the first stored programme computer, and as a result has managed to climb up the international city rankings to occupy a place as a Beta-level metropolis; the highest ranked of any in the U.K. outside London. The video is all about this aspect of our hometown- not just the present, but what is promised next.
This clip has been unveiled less than two months after the Colliers International Cities of Influence TLC index placed Manchester as Europe’s third most influential city right now, beaten only by London and Paris, taking into account affordability and present and future talent pools, not to mention overall reputation. Needless to say, then, it’s not just an exciting place to live, a vibrant place to visit from outside, and an incredible place to do business at the moment, but also for years to come. Not that anyone really needs to be told this anymore.
[Tweet “Great video here showcasing the best of #Manchester – business and leisure”]
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