Branding & Creative, Digital, Strategy

A new touring route for the east of England.

The Explorer's Road

Touring routes are big business – just ask Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way – but England is yet to cash in. Fortunately the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, on behalf of a group of stakeholders, has won funding from VisitBritain to create and market a new brand designed to drive inbound tourism.

The route roughly traces the course of the A1, taking in centuries of history and culture from market towns to city cathedrals. Visit Britain identified German tourists as a key target market, so we developed three bilingual names and visual identities before commissioning targeted consumer research in Germany to inform and refine the chosen option.

The result – The Explorer’s Road – is a brand packed with narrative and emotional engagement, supported with thorough brand guidelines and adaptable assets. We also produced a dynamic, interactive map to display the route and link tourists to locations and attractions. The best website design for a groundbreaking project, with SEO optimisation built in.

The brand received an enthusiastic reception from partner organisations and stakeholders, with attractions along the route buying in at higher numbers than predicted.