Dundee Launches New City Campaign: Ambassadors share their stories and help ‘illuminate' Dundee

Dundee has unveiled an innovative new destination marketing campaign, encouraging people to ‘discover more' about the city by illuminating all that it has to offer, with the backing of a host of high-profile ambassadors.
 
Building on the city's ‘City of Discovery' identity, which was first used more than two decades ago, the refreshed vision positions Dundee as ‘One City, Many Discoveries'- focusing on its modern, multi-faceted make-up and its ambitions for the future. The new campaign reflects contemporary Dundee's status as a diverse, dynamic and innovative home to a pioneering life sciences sector, a groundbreaking digital media industry, two world-leading universities, and as a city offering major potential and opportunity - not least through its ongoing £300 million Waterfront development.
 
Helping to illuminate key ‘discoveries' about the city are a host of Dundee Ambassadors, inspirational individuals, each connected to the city in some way, who reveal the stories they believe have helped to make Dundee what it is today.
 
Actor Brian Cox talks about the fact Dundee is home to a Frank Gehry building. Sir Philip Cohen, leading scientist and researcher, shares his thoughts on why the world's best scientists are moving to the city, and local musician and composer Ged Grimes highlights why he thinks the creative industries are driving Dundee forward. 

Their personal ‘discoveries' about Dundee, along with the first set of stories from other Dundee Ambassadors including TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and gaming entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl, feature on a new website, www.dundee.com, which also acts as an information portal about the city and as platform for sharing stories, images and film about what makes Dundee tick.

Unveiling the new campaign, Councillor Will Dawson, Convenor of City Development for Dundee City Council said:

"While Dundee has been long been linked with the notion of ‘discovery', it's in recent years that the city has really excelled as a centre of innovation and creativity. What's going today in Dundee may surprise some people. We have thriving creative and digital gaming sectors, a world-leading life sciences industry, hugely respected universities and are undergoing a £300 million transformation with our Waterfront development. Our new ‘One City, Many Discoveries' campaign builds on our heritage and gives us a new platform from which to tell the tale of a diverse, innovative and world-leading city - that of modern Dundee."

Sharing his thoughts on Dundee as part of the new campaign, Emmy-Award winning Actor Brian Cox, who was born in the city, said: "I love the fact Dundee's got a Frank Gehry building in it. Maggie's Centre is a brilliant piece of architecture and you can see the water from its situation, which makes it really special too. The city's full of surprises like that."

Musician and composer Ged Grimes, who runs Jacks Hoose Music, added: "Creative industries are driving Dundee forward. For me, that's great and it's exciting. I personally have had lots of support from bodies like Scottish Enterprise Tayside when I've set my sights on doing business in Japan or California. It's great that people recognise the importance of these industries and the benefits they bring to a city."

Scientist and Director of Research in the School of Life Sciences, Dundee, Sir Philip Cohen said: "The world's best scientists are coming to Dundee. There are two main reasons - one is the quality of the work being carried out here and the other is the quality of life on offer."

As part of the new campaign, Dundee residents are being encouraged to contribute their own personal stories and discoveries about the city as part of the new campaign, through Dundee & Me. Anyone with something to say about the city can submit answers to topics such as ‘what excites you about Dundee?' and ‘what's Dundee's best kept secret?' via www.dundee.com.
 
A selection of the submissions will be published on the website, and also incorporated in a new guide to the city. The story considered to best represent the spirit of the city and its new vision will be selected by a judging panel and made into a short film.

A new suite of branding, including an updated logo which includes a ‘spark', illuminating all that can be discovered about Dundee, is set to replace current ‘Dundee' branding around the city as part of the revitalised vision.