Amanda Lumley (Chief Executive, Destination Plymouth) presented the City Brand Strategy and discussed:

 

a)     That the Brand Strategy work had begun approximately two years earlier following recognition by the Destination Plymouth Board, including representatives from key city organisations, that Plymouth was entering a major growth trajectory over the next decade and required a clearer, stronger, more competitive city positioning;

 

b)    That the work had been driven by the need to attract people to live, work, study and invest in Plymouth, and to change long?standing external perceptions of the city, noting that many people outside the region knew little about Plymouth or viewed it only as a naval base, a distant location, or a place with limited cultural offer;

 

c)     That early aims of the project included: shifting external perceptions, raising aspirations and civic pride among residents, particularly inspiring young people,  increasing awareness of Plymouth’s strengths, and creating a narrative rooted in authentic community identity and lived experience;

 

d)    That extensive national perception research had been carried out, including general perception surveys, talent?attraction analysis, sector?specific research (including health, nuclear and defence), and growth?sector insights in collaboration with city partners such as the NHS and University of Plymouth;

 

e)     That the research identified Plymouth’s most compelling strengths, including:

 

                     i.         The ocean and waterfront as unique and internationally significant assets;

 

                   ii.         The UK’s first National Marine Park;

 

                  iii.          The city’s high quality of life when compared to regional competitor cities such as Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol and Norwich;

 

                  iv.         Strong happiness and activity indicators;

 

                   v.         A growing cultural offer;

 

                  vi.         A friendly, welcoming community;

 

                 vii.          Increasing opportunities linked to innovation, marine autonomy, defence, creative industries and health technologies;

 

f)      That talent attraction research revealed people looked for career ecosystems rather than single-job opportunities, meaning Plymouth needed to communicate the breadth of opportunities, progression pathways and family?friendly attributes of the city;

 

g)     That the city’s cultural profile remained low nationally despite significant local activity, and that the recent success of Plymouth Culture and the City of Culture announcement created a major opportunity for repositioning the city;

 

h)    That the city possessed over 25,000 anticipated new job opportunities in the coming decade, a substantial investment pipeline now estimated between £8–9 billion, and a long heritage of innovation stretching back more than 500 years, including modern scientific leadership in areas such as marine microplastics research;

 

i)      That the new overarching narrative, “Make Life an Adventure,” reflected the city’s unique geography between Dartmoor National Park and the National Marine Park, its emphasis on nature, its environmental credentials and its strengths in community connectedness;

 

j)      That the community?derived city values were:

 

                     i.         Go boldly (innovation, doing things first);

 

                   ii.         Go together (collaboration and support);

 

                  iii.          Go far (global impact and ambition);

 

k)     That the new Brand Toolkit and Media Hub were fully accessible online to all partners, containing narrative statements, facts, case studies, imagery, video content and assets to support recruitment, investment, education engagement and communications across the city;

 

l)      That partners had already begun using the materials, most notably Plymouth Culture for the City of Culture announcement, as well as city centre hoardings, electric bus branding and other public-facing assets;

 

m)   Organisations were encouraged to consistently use the narrative, share the brand across networks and communities, and to “invest in promoting the city,” using the brand to support recruitment, outreach and civic pride.

 

(A video was played at this time - Plymouth, Britain's Ocean City Brand Film)

 

In response to questions, the Board discussed:

 

n)    That the Strategy had been well?received, with Members commenting that the work was uplifting and long overdue given historic negative perceptions from neighbouring areas in Devon and Cornwall;

 

o)    Members emphasised the importance of the Council and all partners amplifying the Strategy across the UK and internationally, noting the need for a coordinated approach to reach audiences unfamiliar with Plymouth;

 

p)    Opportunities linked to defence recruitment, national defence campaigns, and global talent attraction were highlighted, including discussions around a potential “talent attraction accelerator” and funding avenues such as the Towns Fund;

 

q)    That neighbouring areas, particularly parts of Cornwall and South Hams, often held entrenched negative perceptions of Plymouth despite frequently using Plymouth’s cultural facilities, theatre and retail, signalling the importance of strong regional advocacy;

 

r)     Members reiterated this was a “whole?city” initiative involving partners across all sectors, funded collaboratively and delivered through a highly inclusive process;

 

s)     Members offered personal reflections on how the brand narrative and film captured Plymouth’s strengths, noting that even long?term residents often forgot the exceptional environment around them until it was shown through a fresh lens;

 

t)     Members raised that pride in place contributed positively to wellbeing, and that a strong sense of local identity supported the wider health and wellbeing agenda;

 

u)    Newer members of the city workforce, including senior NHS staff recently relocated, described entering the city with limited or outdated perceptions, and commented that the Strategy had the potential to significantly support recruitment and staff retention across the health system;

 

v)     Practical concerns were raised regarding city access during redevelopment, the impact of roadworks on visitor experience, and the importance of minimising disruption during major events. Members also noted that city centre footfall was up by around 6% compared to a national average of 1.8%, and broader data from the city’s Data Hub also showed year?on?year increases across the wider central area;

 

w)   That while the visitor economy overall had experienced national declines, Plymouth had performed better than Devon and Cornwall, which reported steeper drops in day?visitor numbers. Collaboration with neighbouring authorities remained essential;

 

x)    Concerns about Christmas trading and temporary disruption were valid, but most city centre works were due to be completed by Christmas 2026, after which benefits to footfall and public space were expected to increase;

 

y)     Members wished to consider showing the brand film at the next Full Council meeting so that all councillors could view and understand the Strategy and its potential benefits.

 

The Board agreed:

 

1. To align with the City Brand Strategy and new narratives to position Plymouth as a place to live, work, study and visit;

 

2. To align with the key components of the branding work, including narratives and visuals, and to mainstream these where appropriate into key delivery programmes requiring citywide messaging;

 

3. To recognise Destination Plymouth as the citywide marketing organisation with strategic responsibility for leading the brand strategy and implementation, positioning the city’s place?brand and continuing to lead the Visitor Plan;

 

4. To recognise the support of key city partners in funding and driving this work forward.