Reaching millions and sparking civic pride on an £800 budget
How a communications team of six reached an audience fifteen times the city population and generated a £3.9 million economic boost for Sunderland.
Winner of the Team of The Year Award at the Orlo Spotlight Awards 2026.
Sunderland City Council is the local authority serving the vibrant, evolving city of Sunderland in the North East of England. Driven by an ambitious regeneration agenda and rich cultural heritage, the council is focused on building civic pride, highlighting regional leisure and retail opportunities, and cementing Sunderland’s reputation as a recognised Music City and world-class host destination. High profile public engagement and major event delivery are spearheaded by the council’s Campaign Team, a team of six serving as the central communications hub across local services, regional authorities, emergency services, and national partners.
The challenge
When Herrington Country Park was selected to host BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the council was handed one of the most high profile communications opportunities in history. The challenge went far beyond event promotion; the team needed to deliver the wider, summer long ‘One Big Summer’ programme and showcase Sunderland’s dramatic transformation since the festival was last staged in the city in 2005. Crucially, the campaign had to shift external preconceptions, engage local residents, celebrate the coastline and cultural offering, and encourage visitors to view Sunderland as a prime destination in its own right.
Logistically, the operational demands were intense. Managing communications for nearly 100,000 attendees required meticulous planning and multi-agency coordination alongside the BBC, the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, and emergency services. Furthermore, the team had to deliver real time, on the ground coverage during one of the hottest weekends of the year. Most challenging of all, the entire campaign had to be created and executed in-house by just six people on a promotional budget of less than £800, demanding maximum creativity and efficiency to achieve national cut through without commercial agency backing.
The solution
The Campaign Team developed a place-based comms strategy that put Sunderland, rather than solely the festival line-up, at the heart of the narrative. Managed entirely by the internal team, the strategy blended council owned social media channels, digital marketing, media relations, stakeholder engagement, and influencer partnerships. Alongside festival acts, content deliberately showcased the city’s coastline, ongoing regeneration, retail, and hospitality offer to drive long term tourism and economic impact.
At the centre of this strategy was an agile, video first approach. Every piece of content was filmed and edited in-house, featuring behind the scenes interviews with emerging talent from BBC Introducing to reinforce the city’s musical pedigree. The team also created bespoke promotional video content with Radio 1 presenter Greg James ahead of the event to build anticipation.
During the festival weekend, the team stepped away from their desks to provide authentic, real time storytelling. Immersing themselves in the heart of the crowds, across busy transport hubs, and within event control alongside the emergency services. Acting as the central comms hub, they delivered timely safety guidance, travel updates, and engaging behind the scenes moments on social media, that resonated with audiences across the country.
The results
The campaign achieved results comparable to a multi-million pound commercial campaign, setting a new benchmark for in-house public sector communications. Across council owned social media channels, the campaign generated more than 4.4 million reach, 5.5 million impressions, and over 3 million video views, whilst gaining over 1,000 new followers during the festival weekend alone. Reaching an audience equivalent to more than fifteen times Sunderland’s population, social activity outperformed government sector benchmarks for impressions by 72% and delivered entertainment sector levels of performance.
Compared to previous major campaigns, video views soared by 265% and impressions rose by 146%. The bespoke Greg James video alone accrued over 94 days of cumulative watch time and became the most shared piece of content in council history, contributing to an overall advocacy rate of one share for every 4.7 likes across 11,800 total shares.
The impact extended well beyond digital platforms. The team secured 153 pieces of media coverage with an audience reach of 445 million people, including 435 million radio listeners and 12.8 million online and print views, generating an Advertising Value Equivalence of £12.7 million. Most importantly, the campaign created tangible local value, driving a £3.9 million economic boost for Sunderland that included £1.4 million in hotel related hospitality revenue.
Visitor experience and community sentiment were overwhelmingly positive. A total of 29% of attendees extended their stay, and the event achieved an outstanding 98% visitor satisfaction rate. Attendees praised the city’s presentation, calling the event “absolutely fabulous” and describing Sunderland as “a perfect example of how to turn a city around”. Across the wider summer events programme from May to August, 81% of attendees reported a more positive perception of Sunderland, and 85% felt more connected to their community, proving that strategic storytelling, talent, and passion can shift perceptions and instil enduring civic pride on a minimal budget.
Engagement
72%
over sector benchmarks for social media impressions
Engagement
265%
increase in video views compared to previous campaigns
Outcome
£3.9 million
boost for the City delivered on an £800 budget
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