Media experts help form Switch On To Swindon communication strategy

Local news publications – including Business Biscuit – and bloggers have helped shape the aims and objectives of a special network which is striving to put Swindon on the map.

The Switch On To Swindon business ambassador network, now in its third year, is currently refreshing its strategy and used the expertise of the town’s local media and PR professionals to develop its forthcoming communications plan at a recent workshop in Swindon’s Carriage Works.

The SOTS network, which has grown to over 850 ambassadors, was created to harness the positive attitude of the local community and the Switch On To Swindon brand is now synonymous with local civic pride. Swindon has a strong and varied business cluster and the ambassadors work together to talk up the town.

The refreshed Switch On To Swindon vision is ‘Business Ambassadors working together to promote Swindon as a thriving community in which to live, work and invest’.

The core values behind messaging and activity are Ambition, Community, Honesty, Innovation, Positivity.

Three key aims were also agreed by the Switch On To Swindon Board including

• Live: To promote the positive perception of Swindon as an ambitious growing town of the future to internal and external audiences.
• Work: To inspire and support the development of talented people to enable growth and innovation.
• Invest: To work with partners to attract inward investment to grow the economy.

Over the coming months, a number of themes will support these three aims featuring business and ambassador case studies; press releases and editorials, social media and online content.

Switch On To Swindon chairman Jenny Groves said: “After we launched the TechSwindon campaign at the hugely successful Switch On To Swindon event at Nationwide Building Society in June, the board has been working on refreshing and defining its core values and themes for the year ahead.

“With Ambassador numbers now over 850 and an even greater need for the business community to pull together and promote Swindon’s strengths to the outside world this was the right time to reflect on what has worked well and challenges and opportunities ahead.

“The media and online bloggers workshop was extremely insightful and strengthened our resolve to challenge perceptions and promote some of the fantastic qualities of Swindon, which have attracted companies and people from all over the world.

“Although the Borough has its challenges, like every other town and city, Swindon’s resilience and community spirit is one of its greatest assets and we look forward to working together for another year. The next piece of work is to refresh the marketing collateral and develop content under the themes, so we will be reaching out to ambassadors again to help us.”