Doing Things Differently - GREAT

When GREAT launched ahead of the 2012 Olympics, it was genuinely novel. One banner covering tourism, trade, investment, education. By 2019, however, Brexit had dented our reputation, and Brand Britain was starting to feel like a nostalgic postcard rather than a living argument for why anyone should visit, invest, or study here.

So we flipped it. Stopped telling people Britain is great, and started showing them that Britain sees things differently. Fresh perspectives, not flag-waving. Rather than another ad campaign we went looking for things worth talking about on their own merit: an AI accent generator that turns Americans' love of "the British accent" into a tour of 43 actual UK dialects; a tea range named after hidden UK attractions (yes, Monster Hunting Tea is real, and yes, the King has had a cup), an ever-changing statue that changed over time to reflect the innovation of the UK’s tech sector; and a giant locket float at World Pride in Sydney. Different briefs, same premise: doing things differently to help the world see things differently.

Britain climbed from 3rd to 2nd on the Soft Power Index. Campaign-exposed audiences were 30% more likely to visit. £900 million in foreign direct investment, £548 million in student revenue, £210 million in tourism, a 15 to 1 return overall.