Campaign unveiled to support safe reopening of borough’s high streets

To assist with the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, Tewkesbury Borough Council is working with digital marketing and design specialists V8Media Ltd to deliver a communications programme aimed at supporting the safe reopening of local high streets.

This work forms part of the government’s Reopening the High Street Safely fund, operating in line with the roadmap out of lockdown and encompassing both business- and public-facing communications.

At its forefront is the Let’s Spring Back campaign, which not only raises awareness of public safety, but also helps to support local businesses. A combination of social media, print and digital advertising, and engagement in retail centres across the borough will be used to deliver the campaign and promote the key message ‘shop safe, shop local and be kind’.

Key features of the campaign include:

• Two concurrent social media campaigns – one targeting the general public and the other aimed at businesses.
• Print and digital advertising in local publications.
• Promotional videos featuring local businesses from retail centres in the borough. These will help to highlight the safety measures taken by retailers to ensure safe reopening.
• The design and promotion of unique ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ graphics.
• Awareness posters to be distributed to parishes to display.
• A proposed collaboration with local artists for the design of artwork to communicate the message ‘shop safe, shop local, be kind’. It is hoped these artworks will be displayed in empty shop windows.

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Head of Development Services, Sandra Ford, said: “The past year has been an exceptionally difficult one for local businesses and so, with the current easing of restrictions, the council is committed to getting people back into high streets across the borough.

“Retailers have worked incredibly hard during lockdown to introduce safety measures such as signage and providing hand sanitisers, and I hope people throughout the borough will revisit their local high street, secure in the knowledge that all appropriate steps have been taken to provide a safe, enjoyable shopping experience for everyone.”