Why the south coast and especially Bournemouth is the best place to spend your digital marketing budget

“The thing that makes Bournemouth special is more than the sea, space and the opportunity, it is the people who are a part of it. I have noticed first hand the support and togetherness that bonds people. The initiatives and ventures that we want to deliver, that can sit alongside the business, can sometimes feel isolating when you want to do good work. There is an abundance of people with skill sets, networks and knowledge that can help. We can’t live alone on our islands thinking we can do everything ourselves, there are times when you have to ask. From direction for grants from BCP, to support from the Dorset Growth Hub team, to a credibility stamp from Bournemouth University, to reaching out to others to help (such as what you are reading in this article), it proves that it is not the brands and motifs that stand out, but the people who are part of the fabric of the community.”

“This is the ultimate place for hard working people and their families to thrive. A place where business opportunity meets an exceptional quality of life. There is nowhere like it. It’s also about as far west as I would want to live as a business owner. Go much further east and the ratio of cows to businesses increases significantly. Go east from here and people start to look more and more stressed – like incredible beaches, gorgeous countryside and beautiful coastlines aren’t a normal, natural, everyday part of life… Our secret is out though. Already this area is one of the top UK destinations for those who can choose where they work. Our local leaders have visions of creating a shining digital city by the sea, set in a magnificent, Jurassic playground where rolling countryside meets sparkling sea and clean, sandy beaches. When AFC Bournemouth completed their miracle rise to the Premier league, they put Bournemouth on the world map. Their success mirrored the rise of the digital sector in this area and the future here looks very bright indeed.”

"I think the pandemic has made a lot of people reflect and appreciate the connection between surroundings, nature and wellbeing. There’s also a strong sense of community - both professionally and personally. The last 12 month’s or so have served as a strong reminder how valuable these attributes are in our daily life. Being able to get out at lunchtime and experience the sea air fuels creativity and realigns perspective, further enhancing productivity. This, along with a strong support network and a commitment to nurture and invest in the creative industry, is what is attracting a steady stream of digital talent who now permanently call Bournemouth their home. The pandemic has proved its no longer a necessity to gravitate towards cities in order to attain a dream job or the perfect agency. I think that’s what makes Bournemouth such an attractive place to live - it really is possible to have it all and achieve that work / life balance."

“Being a great place to live, makes it a great place to work. I do firmly believe it is a perfect mix of sea, towns, hills and fields right on our doorstep. I know BCP has struggled with its identity in the past, about being a blue rinse retirement place, but we are so far beyond that now. It is a place to make memories and to return to. In Southbourne I bump into so many new people that are buying homes in the area, after having a small holiday flat, or lived here as children. You have the glitzy Sandbanks that has global attention from the media, comparing homes and land prices to Tokyo, London and other famous cities. Then you have areas like Southbourne and Westbourne that have been on the cusp for so long, but remained a bit of a secret until recently. There was some downturn in revenues from clients in a sector hit by Covid like transport and cinemas, but in the last 12 months, our business is venturing into territory that we hadn’t envisaged. The MoD are turning up to the Dorset Innovation Park, where we built a new data centre, and they are building their own BattleLab there. Because of our presence and work in the security and law enforcement sector, the Army also wants to work with us on all sorts of projects. In the past year, we have taken on 3 new members of staff local to the Innovation Park in Wool. Our personal bond/love with Dorset has changed our view to one where we want to make a positive contribution to West Dorset, where opportunity and prospects do lag behind Bournemouth. 2020 has been a world of change, but overall a positive one for us. Digital will become a different sort of Digital for Dorset as we move forward. Follow #WhyDorset to keep in touch with how things progress”

“I became business editor at the Daily Echo shortly before the Tech Nation report that ranked Bournemouth as the UK’s fastest-growing digital economy. I soon started mixing in the digital and creative community and seeking business news there – and a few things struck me. One was, of course, that a lot of highly clever and creative work was being done, often for very well-known clients, by companies whose names wouldn’t necessarily be known to the ordinary passer-by. There was clearly a great pool of talent on hand – much of it coming out of Bournemouth’s two universities, some of it drawn here from other areas, and still more springing up locally. But another thing I noticed was that this really was a community. People socialised with each other, went to each other’s events and were generous with their knowledge and ideas. They put on events like Adido’s Attention! digital marketing summit. Lots of places have clusters of creative businesses, but I suspect they don’t all function as communities like that. This atmosphere, combined with the obvious appeal of miles of golden coastline, goes a long way to explaining why creative people would want to congregate here. You might expect all that generosity of spirit to evaporate a bit in a crisis like the pandemic, but my sense is that it hasn’t. I’ve seen plenty of examples of people sharing their insights, being honest about their business struggles and going out of their way to support each other. I suspect more creatives are going to be drawn here as we emerge from the Covid crisis.”