- Government launches refreshed GREAT campaign, as Global Britain takes centre stage at the G7 and COP26 summits.
- Refreshed branding refocuses on the UK's distinctive edge as a diverse, innovative and collaborative global nation.
- GREAT campaign has brought in over £4.5bn to the UK since its initial launch.
Today (Wednesday 9 June) the UK Government is launching a refreshed GREAT campaign as the UK prepares to take centre stage for the G7 and COP 26 summits this year.
The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign is the UK's international brand marketing campaign, which works closely with UK businesses, not-for-profit organisations and high-profile figures to promote the best of the UK abroad. It has already brought in over £4.5bn since its initial launch in 2011, by increasing exports from UK food and drink through to British music and film, as well as driving inward foreign direct investment and supporting thousands of jobs.
The revitalised campaign will reach people in over 145 countries right across the globe - from Shanghai and San Francisco, to Toronto and Tokyo - showcasing the very best of British in everything from science and technology to sustainability, culture, and creativity. It is backed with an annual budget of £60 million.
At its core, the refreshed campaign will further promote Britain as dynamic, outward looking, confident and collaborative - bringing unconventional thinking to the global challenges we face. Its mission is to reinvigorate our global partnerships as we pull together to build back better from the pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
The UK is steeped in a long and dynamic history of discovery and fresh ideas, powered by our ability to see and do things differently.
It is this spirit that the world needs now more than ever as we confront the challenges of Covid, tackle climate change, and strive for a better future for everyone on our planet.
And I believe that it's precisely that spirit that puts the 'great' into Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said
The new GREAT campaign will bang the drum for a confident, global and talented United Kingdom; highlighting the innovators, the thinkers and the doers from the Highlands to the South Downs and from Welsh Valleys across to Giants Causeway.
This campaign demonstrates that when we pull together - we can make a crucial difference to the world and the challenges it faces.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said:
We have a fantastically competitive League, which is broadcast worldwide bringing millions of fans together each week to watch and celebrate the competition, wherever they are. The Premier League's global appeal is a reflection of the people who make it - from the players who provide the excitement and drama on the pitch to the supporters who create such a vibrant atmosphere.
We are very proud of the role the Premier League plays in promoting the UK and we look forward to continuing our longstanding support for the GREAT campaign.
Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK, said:
HSBC UK is proud to partner with the GREAT campaign to promote the UK across the world. The UK's prosperity is substantially driven by its ability to collaborate internationally, and I believe the refreshed GREAT campaign will play a huge role in generating economic growth for our country.
The refreshed campaign will place the pinnacle of UK talent - its companies, people and organisations at the front and centre of international markets. It will aim to demonstrate the spirit, ingenuity and unique thinking that brought the life-saving Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to the world.
Our more than 850 partners include:
- Scotland based MacRebur®, who helps solve two world problems through their innovative recycling technology; tackling the waste plastic epidemic, and enhancing the asphalt used to make our road surfaces around the world.
- Northern Ireland based Environmental Street Furniture (ESF), a global supplier of integrated technology; such as solar powered street furniture, hygiene Covid-19 response products, Solar LED Lighting, Defibrillator cabinets, digital signage, and safe lighting columns.
- Wales' Caws Cenarth Cheese - An award-winning cheese exporter offering the best of British quality that has been bought, eaten and loved in Canada, France and sold in high-end delicatessens in Japan - straight from their farm in West Wales.
This campaign will run alongside and compliment the ambitious trade negotiations the UK is undertaking with our international partners. The UK has already agreed trade deals with 67 countries plus the EU, that account for £730bn of UK bilateral trade in 2020.
