13.06.05
Arts Sector Makes Cornwall 'Cool'

A campaign to make Cornwall 'cool' is having phenomenal worldwide success. Cornwall Arts Marketing (CAM) was set up in 2002 with the help of £3m of Objective One investment. Made up of more than 50 businesses involved in Cornwall's arts sector, CAM claims to have:

• Trebled the nationwide reputation of Cornwall's arts sector;

• Delivered 53% sales growth over three years;

• Generated £5.2 million extra sales for partners;

• For every £1 spent, to generate £1.83 for the wider economy, (According to a commissioned survey by Nottingham Trent University).

Miranda Bird, CAM director, said: "Cornwall is home to the highest UK concentration of creative industries outside of London but it still carries the cream teas and beaches image and the arts are seen as fluffy and public sector-dominated, not geared up to commercial behaviour. Neither the arts nor Cornwall has traditionally been associated with economic success or innovative marketing solutions. Our campaign has infected the marketing style of many other Cornish campaigns so that there is now an emerging look and feel created by CAM which is repositioning Cornwall as cool."

CAM's partners include big names such as the Eden Project, Kneehigh Theatre and the spectacular Minack Theatre as well as smaller galleries, museums, festival organisers and theatre companies. To help partners CAM has set up a website with 1500 users per month, which provides a notice board for all partners; a database with 5,000 names available for partner promotions; an e-flyer design, mailing and tracking service to give late boosts to flagging ticket sales and a photo library with 2,000 images available for partners' campaigns.

Initiatives have included a hugely successful series of three supplements in The Guardian. A subsequent poll revealed that 'Living On The Edge' had reached 2 million readers and trebled national awareness of Cornwall's cultural credentials. 93% of respondents said they were more likely to visit Cornwall to experience the culture after reading the 28 page supplements.

An art installation at Paddington Station was seen by about 500,000 people a week for eight months. CAM worked with the Eden project to develop the highly popular Eden Sessions, which have included Moby, Brian Wilson and Embrace.

In 2004 the Arts Council chose Cornwall as the venue for a tour of artists from around the world. As a result CAM has had enquiries from countries including Brazil, Bulgaria and India about how their campaign works. "We brought together a high quality campaign which started to tell a story for Cornwall," added Ms Bird. "We knew the campaign was working even before the figures came in because galleries sold work off the page, visitors arrived clutching our publications and holiday cottages requested them for their guests."

For further information please contact Clare Morgan, the Objective One Partnership Office on 01872 223439 or 07973 813645 or email: cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Cornwall Arts Marketing through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

back to top