Newington rebrand by Lantern

Why place brands should embrace their ‘difficult’ bits

Is Essex right to leave TOWIE behind, or is it abandoning branding gold? Lantern’s Ryan Tym discusses why the best ideas for place branding sometimes come from unexpected sources

Place branding is a hot topic right now, as destinations try to claw back two years of tourism lost to Covid. Competition is fierce, and not everywhere can rely on images of golden beaches or rolling hills to get the punters in.

And it’s not just overseas tourist destinations having a rethink. In the UK, Essex has been in the news for a forthcoming TV campaign that hopes to ditch the associations with reality TV series The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), and emphasise the county’s local culture and history.

But are they missing a trick? According to Ryan Tym, director of branding agency Lantern – which has worked on campaigns for Visit Estonia, Leicester Square and Newington – there’s enormous potential for places to celebrate their more ‘difficult’ aspects.

Newington rebrand by Lantern
Newington rebrand by Lantern
Newington rebrand by Lantern
Top image and above: Rebrand for the estate of Newington in Ramsgate, Kent