Agenda item

[To receive report from Ian Fegan, Head of Communications]

Ian Fegan, Head of Corporate Communications, outlined the background to the development of the marketing strategy for the city council.  This report is an update on an earlier report that was presented to Scrutiny Board for comment.  The Head of Corporate Communications listed the three main priorities of the strategy and the objectives and linked work streams for achieving them.

The Head of Corporate Communications commented that improving engagement with the business community was an area that needed to be improved and that ideas were being considered to deliver information in a more cost effective way.

The panel queried the level of confidence that the strategy could be delivered. The Head of Corporate Communications detailed current work being done to deliver the strategy and the potential offered by the new CRM system which ensures that decisions are driven by intelligence. The system will provide insights and encourage repeat business. The Head of Corporate Communications commented on the need to work with partners to deliver the strategy.

The panel supported the focus on using business intelligence to underpin the marketing strategy for the City. The panel queried if there was now a clear single marketing brand for Wolverhampton which set out its ‘unique selling point’. The panel were concerned about the different types branding being used on publications would lead to confusion about the core brand and reduced its potential impact. The panel made reference to the evidence from witnesses who contributed to the First Impressions of the City scrutiny review which commented on the issue of branding.

The Head of Corporate Communications accepted the point and made reference to the document which talks about a new visual identity and corporate branding focused on the ‘City of Wolverhampton’.  Wolverhampton is the 19th largest city in England and is the only city in the Black Country.  The Head of Corporate Communications commented that not enough is made of Wolverhampton’s city status and we need to find a distinctive message.

The Head of Corporate Communications gave the example of the work being done to develop the “Wolverhampton Story”. The work is being led by Keren Jones, Service Director, City Economy and is supported by the Business Champions.

The panel commented on the importance of having a clear brand for Wolverhampton which set out the vision for the future and creating a good first impression.

The panel agreed that it would be helpful to be sent a copy of the progress report on implementing recommendations from the first impressions of the city review for information that was presented to Scrutiny Board.

The Head of Corporate Communications agreed to a request to provide a position statement about progress to the panel meeting in January 2016.

The panel discussed the history of Wolverhampton and that this should be part of how the city is marketed in the future.

Resolved:

The panel would like a briefing note on what the council is doing to sell Wolverhampton to retailers.

The panel requested that a briefing paper be sent to panel to update on progress in January 2016.