MD2682 London & Partners London Alliance Consumer Confidence Campaign

London & Partners (L&P) is leading an alliance of more than 100 major London businesses to create a new city-wide campaign to build consumer confidence and encourage a responsible recovery in consumer spending (London Alliance).

The London Alliance will come together under the campaign ‘Because I’m a Londoner’. The campaign aims to join Londoners as a united community, committed to helping renew the city. This work is a key pillar of L&P’s revised Business Plan (approved by the Mayor under cover of MD2656), which responds to the impact of the pandemic.

L&P have requested that £280,000, originally approved (by the Mayor under cover of MD2478) as a contribution to the costs of its domestic tourism campaign, be reallocated to this new consumer confidence campaign.

If approved, the GLA grant will be used to support the paid media execution, including paid social media, contextually targeted banner advertising, asset production & delivery and media agency fees for the ‘Because I’m a Londoner’ campaign. The campaign is showcasing the capital’s local businesses and the messaging is designed to encourage Londoners to safely and responsibly rediscover their local high streets and town centres. The campaign commenced on 17 June and will run through to October 2020 and forms a key part of the capital’s response to the economic impacts of Coronavirus. L&P’s campaign is aligned with the ‘#LondonIsOpen’ campaign and supports the Mayor’s recovery efforts.

L&P’s estimated total project expenditure, including contributions from campaign partners, is £640,000. This excludes any value-in-kind services, goods, and media offered to support the campaign which are expected to match the project expenditure of £640,000.

The campaign aims to support London’s culture, retail, hospitality, and events sectors to recover from the economic shock brought about by the public health action taken to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. These sectors employ disproportionately disadvantaged Londoners, so their decline has a serious impact on inequality in the city. L&P’s activity will encourage a responsible recovery in consumer spending, built on consumer confidence.

L&P will achieve this by:

• reassuring Londoners that going out responsibly is safe for them and others;
• showing businesses are responding to the new aspirations of Londoners;
• positioning local spending as an act of solidarity with the city – creating social norms;
• reinforcing behaviour messages around public health, public transport and active travel; and
• encouraging Londoners to share their passion for the city, giving others confidence to experience it too.

The campaign will be measured by engagements, and changes in perceptions among Londoners. The progress of the campaign and deployment of the GLA’s grant funding will be monitored through monthly engagement meetings between the GLA and L&P, as well as at the quarterly grant monitoring meeting in September.

Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ of the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not. This duty applies to the decisions that are the subject of this form.

The campaign is open source, meaning that any organisation in London can take the free content, adapt it to their needs, and use it in their marketing. L&P have created an online portal (https://business.london/joinalliance) where businesses can register and gain free access to a campaign toolkit, including rights-free imagery, logos, templates, and activation tips.

The free-to-use downloadable assets which business gain access to when they join the Alliance include videos and still images representing a diverse range of ethnicities across London’s communities.

L&P are working with London councils, business improvement districts and trade associations to ensure that all businesses of any size, including those that are owned by or cater for minority groups, are aware of the campaign and how they can participate.

Officers have considered the likely impact of this proposed decision on groups with protected characteristics and for the reasons outlined above have concluded that there are no adverse impacts and impacts are likely to be positive.

Key risks and issues

There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

The London Alliance campaign fully aligns with the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy (EDS). The EDS focuses on the importance of a thriving London economy that is open to business – promoting London as a world leader in innovation, technology and creativity.

The London Alliance campaign aligns with Mayoral support for local London businesses through the ‘#LondonIsOpen’ campaign. The campaigns will work together to encourage Londoners to reconnect with their local area and businesses in a responsible manner.

Consultation

L&P is in regular consultation with GLA on the campaign rollout, including messaging alignment with the Mayor’s ‘#LondonIsOpen’ campaign.

Approval is being sought for the expenditure of £280,000 as a grant fund to L&P to support their consumer confidence campaign for London businesses following Covid-19.

As the campaign has already commenced, the grant will further enhance engagement by funding ongoing elements such as social media campaigns, marketing, advertising and media agency fees.

If approved, the Authority’s contribution will increase the value of the campaign to £640,000 in which £360,000 has been raised from several London businesses and business improvement districts. Value-in-kind support is expected to match this £640,000.

The requested £280,000 will be funded by repurposed funds originally allocated to L&P’s domestic tourism campaign held within the GLA’s earmarked reserves.

Section 1-4 of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conductive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation in Greater London; and in formulating the proposals of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

• pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
• consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
• consult with appropriate bodies.

In taking the decisions requested, as noted in section 3 above, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Officers have indicated that the expenditure proposed concerns the award of grant funding as a contribution to L&P’s costs of its consumer confidence campaign not the payment for services. Officers must ensure that: the current domestic tourism funding agreement with L&P is terminated and a new funding agreement is put in place between and executed by the GLA and L&P before any commitment to provide funding is made.