Boom Town Advertising’s creative talent gave the kiss of life to the coastal city of Port Elizabeth’s city centre. The main creative device in the re-branding campaign is a heartbeat with a pulse that extends into a silhouette over the city skyline. It depicts the resuscitation of what was originally the proud heart of the city.
The campaign, developed by Boom Town Advertising, is part of the re-branding and opening of the newly upgraded Govan Mbeki Avenue. Celebration is the theme of the campaign, with colours and images that hint at values such as vibrancy, quality and enjoyment.
“The carnival style imagery represents a way of life where the once pristine and now rejuvenated city centre is again central to the existence of residents of Nelson Mandela Bay,” says Boom Town Advertising’s design director, Andrew Mackenzie.
The campaign was developed for a range of mediums, including newspapers, radio and outdoor advertising throughout the city on lampposts, busses, and buildings.
The R31-million upgrade of Govan Mbeki Avenue which stretches from Market Square to Donkin Street is the first completed city improvement project spearheaded by the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA). The MBDA has followed prime models of urban regeneration - such as Newtown in Johannesburg and Gotenburg in Sweden - which have facilitated regeneration projects of inner city’s with a view to promote economic and tourism development.
Boom Town Advertising is the Eastern Cape’s biggest advertising agency and for the past two years has been ranked amongst South Africa’s top 25 largest advertising agencies by Finweek’s Ad Review. The agency offers a wide range of communication services, specializing in brand strategy development, above and below-the-line advertising and public relations. The agency is instrumental to the development and implementation of major Eastern Cape destination brands such as the Coega Industrial Development Zone, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism and Cacadu District Municipality. Other clients in its portfolio are Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Eveready, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Continental and Volkswagen SA.