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Brief
The Charleroi Métropole Strategic Development Committee asked Reed to set up Charleroi Métropole’s communications. But how do you bring together 29 distinct boroughs under one unified identity?
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Solution
Although the Métropole was a new concept for Belgium, there were already links throughout the area. Our role was to display the common links by promoting the places, businesses and people who make up the Métropole.
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Results
We contributed to the visibility of the ‘Charleroi Métropole’ brand for both its residents and visitors by promoting a recognizable identity and a content-rich platform.
Strategy
A strategy and a new identity in a newly-defined geographical area.
Charleroi Métropole was born from one project, one idea: finding solutions to shared problems on a ‘metropolitan’ scale. Charleroi Métropole is composed of 29 towns and 600,000 residents spread across 2,000 km2, all sharing the same living area. We also needed to show, behind the words, that Charleroi Métropole is its own tangible, meaningful region, an entity in itself.
To achieve this objective, Reed defined a dynamic, human content strategy aimed at social media.
Who said corporate communication should be boring?
The men and women who make up the Métropole
We decided to put human beings at the centre of the content. The people who, in real terms, make Charleroi Métropole what it is, through their work, their history and their actions; in tourism, culture or economy.
Based on the Charleroi Métropole Strategic Development Committee's vision, the aim was to broaden the range of subjects we were dealing with, so residents of the Métropole could discover hidden secrets close to home, but others would also be encouraged to come and see what was happening. And by ‘others’ we don’t just mean Belgian residents - the site was translated, not only in Dutch but also in English.
Graphic identity
The visual identity was created to ensure continuity across all media and to remain strong in the long-term.
The logo and graphic identity were developed in collaboration with Stoemp studio, who proposed a highly coherent entity. Reed then adapted this whole entity across digital media, particularly on videos. Deep, involved collaboration with the client guided us in producing the right tone for website articles; tone is the core of the content and an essential element in ensuring harmony with the brand’s visual identity.
Content strategy
Be inspiring and useful
As content is at the heart of the project, it stands to reason that this is exactly what should be showcased on the website, through a sleek design for the best possible readability and a high-quality reader experience on mobile, tablet and desktop.
Medium to long read articles and short, punchy videos. More concrete categories (Lifestyle, Enterprise and work, Study, Visit) allow visitors to easily find the information they are looking for according to their profile, while at the same time offering the most inspiring content for their profile.
We’ve implemented our video production process and so far directed 225 video stories, 65 photo shoots and video productions.
All our content is aimed at social media in order to increase the number of people reached.
A modern, living platform
Our aim with this platform is to bring together the necessary information for our various target audiences: those thinking of living in Charleroi Métropole, of launching a business there or working there, studying there or even simply visiting.
Our premise was therefore to draw inspiration from more ‘news’ content sites than from the usual institutional platforms. We divided the content into two:
Practical information for various target audiences
Frequently updated articles about the people, places and businesses who make the region what it is
But we went further than that – we developed a page dedicated to understanding the challenges faced by the Métropole as well as showing its boroughs on an interactive map.
Visit the website