Birmingham 2022 announces marketing and creative services partners
Birmingham 2022 has released the names of local businesses it will be working with over the next two years, providing a boost for the region’s marketing and creative services sector.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Birmingham 2022 said it is continuing to appoint new suppliers and is focusing, where possible, on awarding contracts to businesses based in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Out of the ten businesses which have now been appointed to the Birmingham 2022 creative roster, eight are based in Birmingham or have offices in the West Midlands and they will help to deliver marketing and communications campaigns to support the Games over the next two years.
John Crabtree, chairman of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said: “We are living in uniquely challenging times for business, so we’re pleased to be able to demonstrate our commitment to local companies by awarding these contracts. We remain focused on making sure that we use this once-in-a-lifetime event to bring benefits to Birmingham and the region. Of course, this has become absolutely essential today.
Adding these businesses to our marketing and creative services framework is just the start and our procurement drive continues at full speed. Backing local business is just one of the ways the Games can help to benefit the local economy and local people. Our cross-partner Legacy and Benefits committee will approve and oversee the implementation of a full programme of activity over the next few months.”
The agencies added to the marketing and creative services framework include:
• Gung Ho, Grayling and Pitch Marketing Group for PR support, Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS), TBA Group and DRPG for events
• McCann Central, for design and creative services
• Rainbow Productions, for mascot design and production
• BMG Research for consumer insights and polling
• Goodform for customer relationship management
In addition to the agencies that have been added to the framework, MediaCom has also been appointed by Birmingham 2022, to undertake media planning services from the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Communication Services Framework.
MediaCom Birmingham, based in the city centre, will lead on the account.
Josie Stevens, chief marketing and communications officer for Birmingham 2022, said: “Birmingham is a city well-used to successfully staging major international events. The 2022 Commonwealth Games were awarded in extraordinary circumstances in 2017 and we have less than half the time of previous host cities to raise awareness and engage a hugely diverse population.
“The current global pandemic also means that we’ll be operating in a very different environment – something we’ll need to carefully consider. The Games could be the perfect opportunity to bring the city and the country together, for an uplifting celebration of sport and culture.
“We are rising to these challenges with some bold thinking and we’ve chosen agency partners who are creatively brave, fleet-of-foot in delivery and hugely collaborative. Their passion for this city, the region and Games is clear.”
