One of our goals at RBWM was to create a digital ecosystem and sustainable, resilient business community that would be empowered to build resilience in the high street. The way we did this was to establish trust and a relationship with the business owners. One of the elements of our campaign was to launch something a bit different for our client at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Something that was not too “council” or too corporate. We had created a new communications channel and brand identity – and decided to stick with the hand-drawn, then digitally illustrated assets that were unique, connecting the community with friendly, clear communications. We created an accessible brand persona that the community connected with.

Friendly, yet clear and authoritative public health messages were shared across all channels, but specifically on Instagram and Facebook stories to provide effective, accurate proactive messaging and build community engagement-related to safe shopping and public health. We started out with creatives that we hand-illustrated and then posted a series of stories on a campaign basis to encourage our community to Stay Safe, support local, shop online (during the lockdown period), and to follow government guidance.

This messaging was aligned to government messaging and eventually moved into the Stay Home message. We used our less corporate imagery to communicate public health messaging and it was well-received and shared by our cadre brand ambassadors (businesses, their customers, the media, and community partners). Our aim was to build community, solidarity, and share public health messaging in a positive way.

Supported by our own previous high street rejuvenation engagements and research, we built a multi-channel marketing and PR strategy to engage the local community and business owners to champion their high street. Our strategy was based upon our experience and our research. We interviewed Business Improvement District (BID) managers and conducted research from High Streets Task Force Carnegie UK Trust’s COVID and Communities Project’ 2020 report, GOV.UK, Health and Safety Executive, Public Health England, National Museums, the Arts Council, McKinsey, and the Local Government Association best practices and case studies. Our strategy was adopted in its entirety and championed by the RBWM team and council.

We engaged local stakeholders to serve as brand champions – building a word of mouth economy – and empowered local businesses to embrace digital channels, safely reopen, and reimagine what was possible in a time of COVID. Read our RBWM case study and full results here.

We are proud to have developed the council’s phased ‘Welcome Back’ strategy and recovery plan.

Throughout our project, we implemented safe and socially distanced place making events called Instameets and continued our community building efforts. We supported businesses with a variety of toolkits, digital and resilience training, and supported RBWM’s business innovation grant fund programme. When we kicked off the “Don’t Let Your Guard Down” campaign with illustrated, life-sized Coldstream guards, we provided digital and print assets and supporting toolkit for all as our safe shopping, social distancing reminder to the Borough. 

Our “Don’t Let Your Guard Down” print and digital campaign captured the attention of international media during the Royal Funeral, which we also supported from a communications perspective (pausing all reopening communications during this time). 

The campaign had an overwhelmingly positive response, with assets being utilised and shared across social media, businesses and locals alike sharing selfies and taking care and ownership over the life-sized cut-outs. A local print business even offered to print A4’s for free for all businesses in Windsor.

The campaign supported the four-phased approach that aligned to the Government’s Roadmap to reopening the high street. Our strategy was outlined on the My Royal Borough website and provided support for both the reopening and recovery of the Royal Borough over the unlocking period and the transition out of the national lockdown. 

We developed the communications plan, which included innovative and accessible engagement tools, communications materials, branded toolkits and promotional materials for businesses, guidance, and the Don’t Let Your Guard Down campaign to kick off supporting local businesses and communities throughout the process. 

The guards received national and international coverage during the Royal Funeral and again during the HRH Her Majesty The Queen’s birthday celebrations. We were also noted in The Times for our safety campaign as well as the Guardian (three times) and the New Scientist. We were shortlisted for a Drum Award for PR in 2021.

We introduced the Tech For Good platform, Hello Lamp Post, to the council and they ran an innovative citizen engagement platform that complemented our campaign, where street objects, like our guards, came to life. Citizens were advised to socially distance via QR codes and signage on park benches and bollards as well as through our massive guards. As lockdown eased, the campaign evolved into a tourism and placemaking programme, where tourists and locals could chat to a popular bandstand or the Queen Vic statue and learn about local history or get live bus times while talking to a bus stop. We supported all aspects of the engagement communications, which launched in May 2021. Hello Lamp Post was dynamic and flexible, enabling the council to not only adjust with the changing landscape but with the needs of its citizens.