A "TONGUE in cheek" campaign promoting the North-west at the expense of the south has been hailed a success.

The Warrington-based Northwest Development Agency used a series of statistics to suggest that locating in the region often makes better business sense than operating in London and the South-east.

Advertisements in the national media and the London Evening Standard -- timed to coincide with the CBI national conference in Manchester -- highlighted differences between London and the North-west.

The points made included:

Office costs in London are nearly 350 per cent higher than in Manchester.

London commuters spend an extra three hours travelling per week than in the North-west.

A first-time buyer in London will pay £94,000 more for a house than in the North-west.

It costs £50 per week more for full-time childcare in London than it does in the North-west.

Delegates to this week's CBI conference in Manchester -- many of them in a position to invest in the North-west -- saw the same "capital punishment" message on Manchester taxis, their hotel doors and a giant inflatable blimp.

There was even a special newspaper with the headline "It's Grim Down South."

Also, two actors spent time at the conference campaigning for BEN -- "Bring Everyone North-west."

But the campaign has angered a number of people in the capital, including the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

Mr Peter Mearns, the NWDA's Director of Marketing, said today that the "grim down south" campaign had used Northern humour and had allowed them to get their message across in a way which would not have been possible with a conventional approach.

"It has been a success in the light of media coverage we have had and the delegates went home with a message about the North-west."

But he acknowledged that some of the southern delegates had not been very happy about it all.

He said it was part of an ongoing NWDA attempt to change stereotypical, negative images of the North-west -- a process helped enormously by the success of the Manchester Commonwealth Games this summer.

He stressed that when the NWDA talked about Manchester they meant the whole Greater Manchester area, including Bolton. "The ads may upset some Londoners, but they, and their bosses, should ask themselves the very simple question -- is it really necessary to put up with the cost and hassle of living in London when there are excellent options elsewhere?"

The NWDA maintains that the quality of life in the North-west means companies in the region can enjoy better employee relations in a region which offers a diverse cultural environment. But the campaign sparked off a list of "Top 10 reasons not to move to Manchester" in the London Evening Standard.

It contained jibes such as "London has even more theatres than Manchester has burnt-out cars."

But the NWDA countered with: "In the Greater Manchester area alone there are more than 10 theatres -- and none of them are playing the Mousetrap."

PIX:The "Grim Down South" message angered southern delegates.

One of the messages displayed in hotel rooms during the CBI conference.