Croydon has been developing and framing its place narrative for many years with the support of both White Label Creative and its community interest company Develop Croydon.
Shortly after White Label Creative set up business in its hometown of Croydon, the place suffered serious reputational damage – the combined forces of recession and the 2011 riots had left its reputation as the ‘capital city of south London’ in tatters.
In the midst of the economic downturn, White Label Creative worked with the London Borough of Croydon and Croydon BID to create a placemaking policy that helped bring the community and key stakeholders together to showcase the town’s cultural strengths and potential.
White Label Creative has continued its long-standing involvement in Croydon for almost 15 years to date, significantly contributing to building the borough’s place narrative, demonstrating our commitment to community engagement, cultural enrichment, and economic development through a range of different and complementary activities, including:
2011 Riot Recovery Plan: White Label Creative played a crucial role in setting up traders associations in the most impacted areas, including South End, Town Centre, and London Road. Notably, the successful rebranding of South End as the Restaurant Quarter led to the establishment of the South Croydon Business Association, which continues to thrive and support local businesses.
Under a Love Croydon theme, festive events were held in Surrey Street and Church Street, and Croydon BID’s light switch-on event was marketed extensively, both locally and within a 25-mile radius, attracting record crowds of 7,000.
White Label’s partnership with Croydon BID continues to this day with Christmas events featuring street markets, community torch parades, staged concerts, ice sculptures and pyrotechnic displays. In addition, we have been involved over the past decade with a range of events which provided positive coverage of the town, from an X Factor Final in the town centre to Wimbledon tennis on a huge town centre screens, urban beaches and the St George’s Day festival.
Develop Croydon: In 2010, White Label held the inaugural Develop Croydon Conference which brought private and public sector together to discuss how best to take the town forward. The initiative led to the setting up of the not-for-profit Develop Croydon Forum CIC which represents key stakeholders across the private, public and third sectors who want to contribute to the regeneration and economic growth of the borough.
Develop Croydon set about changing perception by a range of methods using targeted comms across a range of channels, including the development of a brand and key messages which would be used by all stakeholders to tell Croydon’s positive story through marketing, PR, e-comms, social media and, stakeholder engagement at events (including conferences, investor exhibitions such as MIPIM, and tours). The now has approximately 70 members and continues to promote Croydon as a location to invest, work and live. It is estimated that the initiative has raised in excess of £2.5m in a mix of sponsorship, membership fees and conference delegate sales over its lifetime.
Annual Croydon Food and Music Festival: Initially part of the Riot Recovery Plan, White Label has continued to organise the hugely popular annual Croydon Food and Music Festival on behalf of the South Croydon Business Association. This event attracts over 14,000 people annually, making it the largest free event for food and music enthusiasts in South London. The festival showcases the vibrant culinary scene in Croydon’s Restaurant Quarter, further enhancing its reputation.
Warhol in Croydon: In collaboration with RISEgallery, White Label embarked on the groundbreaking Warhol in Croydon project. White Label worked closely with the gallery to curate a month-long series of events, talks, screenings, workshops, and guided tours throughout September 2017. This initiative brought the art and cultural influence of Andy Warhol to Croydon, fostering artistic appreciation and establishing Croydon as a hub for creativity.
The Platform@Ruskin Square: Engaged by Stanhope Schroders, White Label Creative was tasked with the ‘meanwhile use’ project of transforming a new walkway in the Ruskin Square development, into a vibrant community events space. Through a combination of branding, events, promotion, PR, and social media, White Label successfully created The Platform@Ruskin Square. This project served as a catalyst for community engagement and helped generate excitement for the future development.
Whitgift Heritage Festival: Working in partnership with the charity Whitgift Foundation, White Label Creative developed the Whitgift Heritage Festival. This initiative celebrated and positively promoted the foundation’s local community support. The festival showcased Croydon’s rich heritage through a range of events, exhibitions, and activities, bringing together residents, businesses, and visitors.
London Borough of Culture: Croydon was awarded the prestigious title of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2023. White Label have been appointed as the marketing agency to support in the delivery of the official launch event, as well as deliver a programme of digital, social and out of home marketing assets to support the borough’s poignant tenure.
If you working for a town, city or UK sub-region looking to develop a place narrative, White Label can help, contact jgumb@wlcreative.org.uk
