Porirua is now a city on the rise, but for a time, its growth had been held back. After years of inconsistent communications and siloed activations, Porirua City Council were running low on positive brand equity. Battling outdated perceptions and suffering from a lack of unity between suburbs and council assets, Porirua had a jumbled brand identity and no cohesive vision for what they wanted to be.
There wasn’t a clear sense of who Porirua was or what it stood for. Given that residents pay some of the highest rates in the country, this lack of consistency was starting to leave a sour taste. The city needed their brand to mean something; a story for everyone to get behind.
We embarked on a rigorous, customer-led process of engaging with a wide variety of people: residents, community groups, local businesses, iwi, city councillors and potential visitors to uncover what made Porirua unique.
One city, one approach
Porirua's suburbs needed to unify through a singular narrative. The city needed a single overarching brand – something bigger than just the council.
You're welcome
Workshops revealed a overwhelmingly welcoming attitude amongst Porirua's people, which became the cornerstone of the new brand.
The Porirua POV
The brand photography offers an authentic taste of the Porirua City experience, capturing the welcoming spirit of the locals first hand.
Setting the tone
Every time Porirua City Council communicates, it's an opportunity to make an impression. A playful and conversational tone of voice helps ensure it's a good one.
Bringing events together
A recognisable style was establish to help bring together a calendar of events that the council puts on.
Wayfinding built to unite & flex
Signage plays a big role in giving a city an identity. For Porirua it served as a great opportunity to make visitors feel welcome, for residents to see the value council provides, and unite the internal business units as well as the different villages or suburbs across the city.
Discover Porirua
Instead of a plethora of brochures and pamphlets to promote Porirua, we united them all into a quarterly publication that keeps visitors and residents up to date with the latest and greatest attractions and things to do in the fast growing city.
Our Porirua video series
In each episode a Porirua local gives a tour of their favourite spots. Together they reflect the diversity of Porirua's residents and showcase the welcoming atmosphere of the city first hand.
"Strategy Creative have a great balance of skills and work well as a team. They engaged widely with the community, developing a solid core idea which has influenced not only the brand but many other projects including our corporate values. The brand is dynamic, incredibly practical, and most importantly reflective of who we are."
— Bryan Pratchett, General Manager, City Growth and Partnerships
