Creatives look to future for ‘I Love Manchester’ campaign

MARKETING Manchester is seeking ideas from the city’s creative and business community to build on the legacy of the I Love Manchester campaign.

A meeting last night of around 30 professionals from the advertising, marketing, PR and digital communities discussed ways of taking the campaign – launched after the vandalism and looting in Manchester and Salford this month – forward.

Rachel Combie, marketing director at Marketing Manchester, said the immediate focus was for this Friday – which has been designated I Love Manchester day.

She said: “The campaign began very, very quickly and has grown really fast too, but we want to harness this spirit of civic pride and togetherness and move forward.

“We want Manchester to be thought of for the right reasons – not the wrong ones.”

Money raised through the sales of promotional ‘I Love Manchester’ T-shirts and other merchandise will benefit charities working with youngsters  in disadvantaged communities in Greater Manchester and the North West.

Nick Massey, chief executive of Forever Manchester – the charity formerly known as The Community Foundation for Greater Manchester told the meeting this funding was “vital” at a time of government cuts.

“There are a number of community groups, doing great work in Manchester, but the money is running out. Any money raised will allow us to help them keep going.

“It’s no good people coming along from outside saying they’re going to fix a community – this ‘fix’ needs to come from the people living in that community.”

Among the ideas mooted at the meeting were: a downloadable Manchester Album; displaying the logo on the runway at Manchester Airport this weekend – one of the busiest this year and asking footballers using Twitter such as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand – to ask their followers to sign up to the I Love campaign.