Local businesses are invited to attend a free workshop at the Crescent to learn how to use Buxton’s new marketing toolkit ‘Refreshingly Buxton’.
The new toolkit, ‘Refreshingly Buxton’, was commissioned by High Peak Borough Council as part of its Visitor Economy Strategy for the town. It replaces the previous ‘England’s Leading Spa Town’ toolkit which was developed in 2014.
Branding consultant Howard Swift of The Way Design was appointed to lead on the exercise. Howard and his team conducted desk research, interviews, workshops and surveys to gather information on which to base the new “brand”.
“A brand is not a logo”, says Howard, “it is your essence, your spirit of place”.
For this reason, the new marketing toolkit is based more around key messages which businesses are asked to get behind. The usual “brand” or house-style elements are also there – fonts, colours and yes, logos, – but it is how these are used which form the ‘essence’ of the toolkit.
Howard aimed for the toolkit to be true, simple and flexible allowing it to be used for a range of business types in the town.
Businesses and organisations are invited to download the toolkit and use it in their promotion and marketing, aligning with its key messages: that Buxton is the ideal base for a visit to the Peak District; the town is friendly and welcoming; it is spirited and independent – we do things differently here; it is the best of both worlds – town and countryside, adventure and relaxation, culture and nature; and a visit here can be refreshing, relaxing, revitalising for the mind, body and soul.
“We feel Howard has captured some genuine and really appealing aspects of Buxton, which will attract people to the town. There will be real value in all businesses in the town adopting an angle on these principles, to suit their business, so that we can all promote Buxton with a similar voice and really get the message across” says Chair of Vision Buxton, Roddie MacLean.
The toolkit includes a document outlining the key messages and resources, two “logos” – Refreshingly Buxton and Buxton in the Peak District – container shapes, a colour palette and fonts.
It has already been adopted by a number of organisations in the town including on Transition Buxton’s new reusable Buxton Cup, the new banners promoting Buxton Markets and Buxton Fringe’s promotional leaflets.
We have updated the Visit Buxton website to incorporate the toolkit and its key messages and Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is using it in a promotional campaign for the town.
Attend the Workshop
All businesses in and around Buxton are invited to attend a free, face-to-face workshop at the Ensana Buxton Crescent, delivered by Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, to learn more about how a collective branding initiative can help raise the profile of an area, to learn how to use the toolkit and why they should bother.
It will take place on Wednesday 1 June 2022, 10am-1pm at the Buxton Crescent.
The workshop is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through MPDD’s Developing & Growing the Visitor Economy within Derbyshire project.
To attend, register via Eventbrite here.
Download the Toolkit
The toolkit can be downloaded from our website via a short sign-up form at www.visionbuxton.co.uk/resources/buxton-marketing-toolkit-2021/ where you can also click to watch a presentation on the toolkit, given by Howard.
