Brilliant marketing helps the GO! Southampton BID win through

Carswell Gould was tasked with the challenge of getting a yes vote for the GO! Southampton BID, after the failure of the previous BID in 2009. The company, which has been operating out of Southampton for almost 25 years, was a part of the steering group for the GO! Southampton BID campaign for 2016 and was responsible for delivering the marketing.

The campaign included creating a strong, visible and enticing brand, clearly defining the objectives of the BID, shaping the way in which the BID communicated, and providing expert advice on PR and communications.

Project team Ed Gould

Our Approach

The main aim of Carswell Gould’s campaign was to ensure that the new BID had a strong, visible and enticing brand that would attract the required number of votes. Carswell Gould aimed to achieve this by creating a powerful, recognisable brand that clearly outlined the objectives of the BID, and that was easily identifiable by potential voters.

Additionally, the company aimed to design and code the website, which would be a key outlet for the brand and provide all the information about the BID in a clear and accessible way. Carswell Gould also aimed to provide expert advice on PR and communications, work with place-making consultancy, The Means, to lead a feasibility study, and produce all the collateral in a way that clearly showed off the benefits of voting yes and that was easy for people to understand.

The Outcome

The campaign was able to propose objectives that truly mattered to the potential voters and it was clearly communicated in their work which helped to make it easier for people to buy into it. The campaign was able to secure a yes vote from 70% of the businesses that voted, which represented a 51% majority of the total rateable value. This resulted in a total of £3.3m of funding for the BID to be invested in the city over the next 5 years.

Additionally, Carswell Gould provided expert advice on PR and communications and worked with place-making consultancy, The Means, which led a feasibility study, engaging with over 100 local businesses through face-to-face interviews and a large, well-attended event to discuss a future vision for the BID. They also made sure that all the collateral they produced clearly showed off the benefits of voting yes.

GO! Southampton Website
GO! Southampton Digital Brochure
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