Case Study - Coventry Purple Flag

Case Study – Coventry Purple Flag

Strategic Mindset Shifts & Public Perception Management

About the project

Coventry holds the prestigious ‘Purple Flag’ status – a national accreditation recognising towns and cities that offer an entertaining, diverse, safe, and enjoyable night out. However, our client faced a deep-seated challenge: a significant gap existed between holding the official badge and how the end consumer actually felt about safety in the city centre at night.

Piece of Cake Marketing was brought in to look at the campaign strategically. We didn’t just need to share the news of an award; we had to actively work with the client to shift public mindset, tackle negative perceptions head-on, and transparently demonstrate exactly what is being done behind the scenes to keep Coventry safe at night.

What We Did

Our Strategic Approach (The Fractional Manager Role

When you are dealing with sensitive topics like public safety, traditional corporate announcements fall flat. As the Fractional Marketing Managers leading this campaign, we introduced a “Prove the Action, Don’t Just Claim the Badge” strategy. We shifted the content pillars entirely away from static graphics and leaned heavily into transparent, human-led storytelling.

  • Deconstructing the Badge: Instead of simply repeating the phrase “Purple Flag,” we broke the accreditation down into real-world, tangible safety mechanisms that everyday visitors could recognise and trust.
  • On-the-Ground Video Strategy: We directed and produced highly engaging short-form video content highlighting the real people keeping the city safe. This included spotlighting the Street Patrol teams on their nightly walks and filming the proactive safety training happening inside local venues.
  • Open & Honest Copywriting: We adapted the campaign voice to be realistic and empathetic. By acknowledging public concerns rather than ignoring them, we built a bridge of trust with the local community.

Results & Stats

By humanising the campaign and focusing heavily on strategic video content, the message broke through the noise. Our recent campaign review highlighted exceptional engagement metrics across the city:

  • Massive Digital Visibility: The campaign captured over 377,000 impressions, proving that the message was actively reaching the local and regional audience.
  • High-Impact Video Engagement: Top-performing video posts – specifically those introducing the Street Patrol team and detailing the ‘Ask for Angela’ safety training in bars – became the driving force of the campaign’s success.
  • Shifting the Narrative: By opening up transparent comment sections and showing real faces on the streets, we helped the client move the public conversation from skepticism to active awareness of the safety networks available.