Positive change agency Think HQ has won the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Victorian Creative Cities Network (VCCN) account in a competitive pitch.
Think HQ will undertake a two-year project of work across all four cities – Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo – to create a uniting strategy aimed at elevating and promoting the UNESCO VCCN to local, national, and international audiences.
The work will span strategic communications, content strategy and production, as well as earned media
Victoria is the first and only Australian state to have four cities designated as UNESCO Creative Cities.
The four designations are:
· Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature
· Geelong UNESCO City of Design
· Ballarat UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art
· Bendigo UNESCO City of Gastronomy
The VCCN forms a core part of Creative Victoria’s ‘Creative State 2025’ – a $288 million integrated strategy to support the recovery of creative industries from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and position them firmly as a key driver of Victoria’s future prosperity.
“Think HQ impressed the selection panel with their integrated and contemporary approach to our shared strategic communications problem. Campaigns like this don’t come along every day – it’s more than a tourism promotion and greater than a single city’s story on its own. Think HQ’s response to the challenge was exciting and fresh,” said Tara Poole, creative city coordinator at City of Ballarat.
“We’re looking forward to working with the team at Think HQ, sharing the varied creative and cultural identities of Australia’s most creative State”.
“These are the types of briefs that get us excited and where we can do some of our best work. Strategically and creatively, it’s an awesome challenge as each of the cities is so different – but difference is what drives and inspires us,” said Think HQ founder and managing director Jen Sharpe.
“We’ve loved the collaboration between all of the cities so far and can’t wait to start putting the strategy into action”.
