Creative Estuary
Creative Estuary.
PR that raised visibility for a major cultural regeneration project.
The brief.
Creative Estuary is a government-funded project to transform 60 miles of the Thames Estuary into one of the UK’s most exciting cultural hubs. Backed by £4.3m from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and led by the University of Kent, the initiative brings together public sector and cultural organisations to drive jobs, investment and creative industry growth. Strand was commissioned to provide PR support to raise awareness of the project, showcase its ambitions and ensure consistency of messaging across partners.
The strategy.
We created a comprehensive PR plan covering proactive press opportunities, reactive media handling and stakeholder messaging. Key activity included refining Creative Estuary’s messages, building a tailored media list, developing media partnerships and preparing spokespeople for press interviews. We produced and distributed press releases to mark milestones such as World Creativity and Innovation Day, the launch of the Creative Estuary Review Programme and other project initiatives. Working closely with the central team and partner agencies, we ensured messaging was aligned and the project’s profile was amplified across all available channels.
The point.
While our remit was limited to promoting the destination rather than the wider project, the campaign still raised awareness of Creative Estuary as a government-backed initiative with serious cultural and economic ambition. By securing consistent media visibility, aligning messaging across all partners and creating professional press materials, we helped position the Thames Estuary as a credible location for creative growth. The work gave stakeholders and funders confidence in the programme and laid strong foundations for future storytelling as the project developed.
