THE DOTS
The Dots Campaign Brings Indie Brands Opportunity to Start-up.
Towns and cities up and down the country are undergoing a place making transformation. Our client is a non-profit business improvement district in the heart of Stockton town centre. Stockton BID in partnership with Stockton-On-Tees Borough Council asked us to develop an idea to generate investment opportunities into the town as part of a push towards meeting the long term aims of the town’s transformation.

Approach
We’re invested in people, place and purpose and are active members of place making bodies. Residential living is increasing, retail is shrinking, and the move away from homogenised places is making way for indie start-ups to breathe new life into our places and create local employment.
The Dots Name & Event
We came up with an idea for a mini event series to invite all types of start-up business and companies considering a relocation to Stockton to attend the event. The rationale for The Dots was very simple, to bring all the right people, with the right information behind the town’s transformation into one event where potential investors could join the dots, meet the team, and make an unstoppable start to a business future in Stockton Town Centre.
The Design
Our design method for The Dots name, event mechanic and subsequent graphics were metaphor based. The Dots would act like a lighthouse, a beacon to attract attention of wavering business to the location of the UK’s widest high street.
Messaging
We kept the tone of message conversational using the Citizen, the Mentor, and the Jester brand archetypes to converse like a buddy or mentor was chatting to you. We asked, ‘Ever wanted to turn that idea into a business? Every great start-up needs a great team of players because there’s no such thing as a lone genius when it comes to entrepreneurship. This style of message was relatable and reinforcing, provoking lots of interest from a variety of business type.
Marketing Execution
We executed The Dots on social media, direct marketing, PR and held The Dots mini events in small intimate venues in town.
The Results
We had a real uptake at events generating several investment leads with some converting as new businesses to Stockton.










