The new Four service, Place+, utilises data-driven insights, expert strategic consultancy and marketing services to provide deeper understanding, analysis, strategy, execution and evaluation for organisations involved in placemaking.
It will be available across Four’s operations in the Gulf and UK. In the MENA region, Four’s clients include the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Dubai International Financial Centre.
The agency’s recent work in placemaking has included the development of a three-year domestic tourism marketing strategy for London on behalf of the Domestic Tourism Consortium delivered by London&Partners, and a cultural communications strategy for Peabody in Thamesmead.
Dotti Irving, the chief executive of culture who co-chairs the Four place taskforce, said: “Place matters. It’s where we live, work and play. But places are created and influenced by many factors including communities, culture, lifestyle, environment commerce, developers, tourism boards and government. Too often, place strategies are created in isolation without wider collaboration or sector knowledge.
“Our new Place+ service breaks the mould by combining specialist sector experience with innovative insight and smart strategic thinking to improve the value of place.”
Debbie Hindle, Four Communications’ chief executive of travel and co-chair of the agency’s place taskforce, added: “Organisations definitely want to be challenged to think differently, to think creatively and deliver new approaches to placemaking.
“The impact of COVID-19 requires a completely different skill set, requiring collaboration with multiple place stakeholders, new research methodologies, audience evaluation and target setting. In travel it has hastened the move for tourist boards to shift from destination marketers to destination managers focused on urgently building back livelihoods for their industry partners and taking stock to ensure they use this time to build a long-term sustainable future for their citizens and visitors.”
Click here to subscribe to the FREE Middle East comms bulletin to receive dedicated news, features and comment from the region straight to your inbox. Make sure you register for the site to access more than one story per month.
To submit a news, comment, case study or analysis idea for the Middle East bulletin, email Arvind.Hickman@haymarket.com
