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LEAD FEATURE
Britain’s world-renowned expertise in science and technology has been rewarded with 77 Nobel Prizes. For cutting-edge medical innovation, choose the UK.
Bionic hand Touch Bionics
The Ron Cooke Hub The University of York
For world-class education and training, with more than 30 of the world’s top 200 universities, choose the UK.
With more patents in marine technology than any other country, choose the UK for world-class sustainable solutions.
Siemens SeaGen Tidal Current Turbine Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland
A GREAT SUCCESS
The GREAT Britain campaign is playing a major role in raising awareness of the UK as a global centre of excellence. Lorraine Shah reports
much international exposure and publicity in recent years as GREAT, which aims to showcase all that is best of what Britain has to offer in order to encourage the world to visit, study and do business here. Drawing together the national promotion
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efforts of UK Trade & Investment, VisitBritain, the British Council and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office into a single campaign, GREAT aims to deliver significant and long-term increases in trade, tourism, education and inward investment in support of the Government’s prosperity and growth agenda. The campaign complements
VisitBritain’s £100m, four-year tourist marketing programme and unifies all
12 | springboard | www.ukti.gov.uk
he GREAT Britain campaign has been truly unmissable. Few marketing initiatives have had as
the Government’s international growth messages around a common brand. Initially timed to capitalise on the
unprecedented attention received by the UK in the run up to and aftermath of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, GREAT launched worldwide in February 2012 in 17 cities in 10 markets – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan and the USA – using impactful messages designed to reach a large percentage of potential tourists and inward investors. These messages are organised around a series of pillars – Heritage, Culture, Countryside and Sport for tourism audiences; Innovation, Business, Entrepreneurs, Technology, Creativity and Green for businesses and investors; and Knowledge
for students – and are conveyed through high-impact outdoor advertising, as well as print, TV and online channels. Described by a French journalist as
“probably the most effective global campaign of territorial marketing since the ‘Big Apple’ campaign in New York”, GREAT has undoubtedly been impactful. High profile global advertising has been complemented by prestigious receptions and a wide range of other events, many of them supported by celebrities and royalty. One of the key markets where GREAT has played a pivotal role is India, highlighting UK expertise in sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, advanced engineering, technology and education. In January, for example, GREAT was used to brand UK stands at the Vibrant Gujarat trade and investment summit,
Photography: Martine Hamilton Knight / Built Vision
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