Discover GREAT Britain

In a year in which Britain hosts the 6th Paralympic Games and the 30th Olympic Games, and Queen Elizabeth II marks 60 years on the throne, Britain is launching a worldwide image campaign entitled “GREAT” Britain.

The British Government will provide a total of 27 million pounds over the next two years for what is the country’s largest ever international promotional campaign. The Germany launch of “GREAT” will be boosted by a further four million euros from the British national tourist board VisitBritain. The German capital will see the arrival of double-deckers, bendy buses and trams bearing the GREAT designs. Images of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will also be carried on outdoor posters, billboards, and in a cinema ad.

On 8 February at Pariser Platz in the heart of Berlin, British Ambassador in Germany Simon McDonald hopped onboard one of the 15 double-decker buses bearing the colours and images of his country. He was accompanied by various guests of honour including Christian Regenbrecht (Charité), Dale Carr (Broken English), Emma Limon-Wittmann and Katie Gibbs (Federal Ministry for the Environment), as well as pupils from the Berlin British School.

Thematically, the campaign will be based around 12 areas in which Britain has something great to offer, including Culture, Nature and Heritage, but also Innovation, Sport and Business. Alongside posters showing some of Britain’s dramatic landscapes, one image displays a prosthetic hand developed by the Scottish company Touch Bionics, and draws attention to Britain’s 76 Nobel prize-winners in the area of science and technology. The “Green” image shows the Olympic velodrome in London, which sets new standards in sustainable architecture. The market value of renewable energies in Britain is expected to reach around one billion pounds by 2020.

Designed by the English advertising agency Mother, the worldwide image campaign was launched by British Prime Minister David Cameron. He said: “Britain has so many great things to offer. We want to show the world full of pride that we are a great country for businesspeople, investors, students and tourists.”