North West PR firm Polaris Media has been appointed by the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial (BOAM) charity to create a new brand and website as well as manage the media launch of its new concept.
Polaris has provided pro bono PR support for the Liverpool-based charity since 2017, the charity aims to create the UK’s national memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic in which more than 100,000 allied lives were lost. HRH the Princess Royal is the BOAM patron.
Exchange Flags Liverpool
This week Polaris promoted the new concept for the memorial unveiled by chairman Gary Doyle at a meeting of trade association Mersey Maritime. The launch attracted a large response on the BOAM Twitter @BattleAtlantic as well as coverage in mainstream press. The new concept focuses on the Exchange Flags district of Liverpool and Western Approaches Museum the original command headquarters and Liverpool’s own ‘Bletchley Park’. (see background)
Ben Pinnington Polaris MD
Polaris Media managing director Ben Pinnington who is a trustee of the charity said:
“Coming from Merseyside the Battle of the Atlantic is a cause we feel passionate about and the new concept is really inspiring,” he said. “As a maritime specialist PR firm we further want to support charities that highlight the role of seafarers and Britain’s continued reliance, as an island nation, on the sea for 95pc of all visible trade. As the campaign is pointing out without the success of the Battle of the Atlantic Britain would have been defeated by the Nazi U-boats and left unable to feed, fuel or arm itself.”
Ben said Polaris worked with design firm the Modern Agency to create the new brand which is inspired by the colours of the Atlantic Star medal.
“Feedback from the campaign is that the new brand makes a real impact, with its gritty energy,” he said. “It has been great to work as a team to create this new identity and we look forward to launching the new website soon.”
Exchange flags artists impression of Atlantic Lights concept
Ben said 20pc of the profits of his forthcoming book ‘Making Waves: Public relations strategies to transform your maritime business’will be donated to BOAM and Liverpool Seafarers Centre. The book will be published in early summer by Rethink Press.
Battle of the Atlantic Memorial background
New concept:
* BOAM chairman Gary Doyle MA AFNI said following a full review the campaign is launching a new brand, inspired by the colours of the Atlantic Star medal ribbon, to support a series of new initiatives which will be unveiled in Liverpool, the command headquarters of the battle, in May 2023.
* The original concept of building a £2.5m monument on the Pier Head has been replaced due to excessive cost following covid.
* The new concept will focus on four areas and aims to raise around £750,000.
* The concept includes a permanent memorial titled ‘Atlantic Lights’ positioned at Exchange Flags, a garden of remembrance at St Nicholas Church on the Pier Head and a Merseyside wide heritage trail taking in key sites of the battle.
* The charity will further partner with Western Approaches Museum, the original command headquarters of the battle helping preserve its status as ‘a living memorial to the battle’ and Liverpool’s own ‘Bletchley Park’.
*The Atlantic Lights concept involves LED lights flashing Morse code onto the columns of buildings in Exchange Flags remembering ship names, key convoys and names of personnel who died and served.
Polaris has created the new BOAM website with the Modern design agency