CT Consults

Humber: a Place Brand for an Economic Zone

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Uniting Humber’s voices to drive investment, regeneration and shared ambition.

In the UK, place brands are usually commissioned by local authorities or public sector agencies. Humber is different: it’s not a single town or a recognised tourism destination – it’s an economic zone. At the time of the commission, the region was preparing for political devolution resulting in soon-to-be two Mayoral Authorities, with fragmented messaging and no unified voice to attract investment or shape regeneration efforts.

A place brand for Humber was vital to unify voices across the region, shape consistent messaging and support regeneration efforts, all while attracting investors and national politics.

The challenge

Humber needed more than a visual identity or narrative storytelling. The region required a methodology designed for long-term impact, grounded in genuine stakeholder engagement and evidence-led decision-making that could work across political boundaries and bring together diverse economic interests—from energy and logistics to education and culture.

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The approach

Working with longstanding partner HemingwayDesign and local agency Pace Communications, we built a comprehensive and deeply collaborative process:

  • Over 100 documents analysed as primary and secondary research: economic and market reports, strategies to understand Humber’s economy, identity and ambition
  • 44 stakeholders interviewed in 1-to-1 and small group conversations
  • 300+ people attended stakeholder workshops across the Humber, targeting multiple sectors and audiences including students, health, culture, engineering, shipping and logistics. Early insights deliberately “provoked” people: what is important to Humber was tested against values which were deliberately “wrong” to spark debate and be more authentic
  • A survey about place perceptions, strengths and challenges with over 665 responses from 12 countries
  • ‘Charettes’ where the consultants spent sustained time engaging creatively with leaders, influencers and change-makers through visits, tours and workshops
  • Delivery of a place brand masterclass or ‘Thinktank’, attended by over 90 delegates. Drawing on national and international case studies, it built a shared understanding of what place branding is and isn’t, and what it can achieve for partnership-driven decision-making

The project focused on lived experience, collective ambition and the region’s DNA, rather than political boundaries.

The impact

The Humber place brand launched at Humber Business Week to over 300 delegates, with a collaborative exercise demonstrating the strategy in action. Since June 2024, it has guided stakeholders through shared values and partnership actions, achieving significant successes:

  • 15 energy partners coming together under one Humber Pavilion at the Innovation Zero Congress in London
  • Over 250 people attending regular Place Ambassador sessions
  • One business leader using the brand values to shape the region’s first Hull & East Yorkshire Business Awards
  • Influencing a £200m investment into Immingham port and £1bn into Humber Freeport sites
  • Helping transform the UK’s largest carbon-emitting cluster into a global exemplar for decarbonisation
  • Brand values appearing in Parliamentary speeches and in a joint letter from Henri Murison (CEO, The Northern Powerhouse) and business leaders calling for unified investment in Humber
  • The restoration of the Burton Building on Whitefriargate, Hull by key developers, demonstrating Humber’s ambition to blend history with new investment, becoming a visible symbol of the city’s renewal
  • The Humber Place brand was shortlisted for Place Brand of the Year at the City Nation Place Global Awards 2025

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There’s a new energy and alignment in the region. Our strengths, assets and ambitions are becoming more visible and better understood both inside and outside Humber. We’ve seen a shift in mindset. People want to be part of a shared mission. The Place Ambassador programme has given individuals and organisations a space to connect, collaborate and build momentum. At one training session, a school principal and a charity CEO met and immediately began planning a Youth Place Ambassadors programme with over 200 students set to take part in October 2025.”

Diana Taylor, Managing Director, Future Humber

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