ADVERTISING and marketing experts are getting closer to defining the essence of Bolton.

More than 200 interviews have been conducted by Nottingham-based consultancy Drakes Jardine as part of their efforts to produce a new image for the town.

The information, impressions and opinions they have received have now been distilled into one word - "AMBITIOUS".

Drakes Jardine says this sums up the whole approach of the borough and is "forward-looking and emotive."

Slogans and designs reflecting this verdict - but not using the word - are now in what the creative types involved describe as the "concept testing stage."

The organisations and individuals involved earlier will be asked what they think and later this month the slogan which emerges will go for approval to the body which is seeking to "create a new image for the Millennium".

This is the Bolton Strategic Partnership, an increasingly important organisation which has board members from Bolton Council, Bolton Bury Training and Enterprise Council, Bolton and Bury Chamber of Commerce, Bolton Institute and the private sector.

The idea is that all sections of the Bolton community will adopt the slogan as part of a significant long-term project which will have a major media launch in February or March.

A similar exercise in Leicester resulted in the phrase "Leicester - a City Full of Surprises."

The researchers, who are genuinely impressed by the town's partnership approach, have already established that Bolton is a very good "product" and that it has an excellent infrastructure, an overwhelming desire to succeed, a willingness to be involved and great ambition.

But they say the borough lacks an identity - knowledge and awareness of Bolton outside the North-west is patchy.

And they found that image and communication was also a problem within Bolton.

Bolton's current image is defined as follows: "Locally it is outdated and rather negative - further away no real image at all."

Younger residents, in particular, had a marked reluctance to "talk the town up" and some of the older people approached showed little outward enthusiasm until the good points were mentioned to them.

This contrasted with the various focus groups who are now all pulling together to look for Bolton's virtues and seek the opportunity to shout them to the world. THERE are two main areas which Drakes Jardine believes Bolton needs to address - students and the ethnic community.

STUDENTS: Bolton Institute already has 8,000 students and expects more should the expected university status be achieved. But the researchers found that many of them see Manchester as essential and do not feel that Bolton offers them the right type of attractions.

Their knowledge of what Bolton has to offer is poor and the verdict is that the student pound is being lost. Drakes Jardine call for the establishment of some sort of forum to discuss relevant issues.

ETHNIC COMMUNITY: Seventeen individuals representing most ethnic groups in the town took part in the exercise. Researchers say religious and geographic divides weaken the ethnic community in Bolton.

Members feel discrimination is rife and Bolton Council came in for specific criticism from people who believed there were no senior ethnic managers and that there was a lack of appreciation of cultural diversity and not enough ethnic facilities. Conclusions include the need for recognition and support of major ethnic festivities and the provision of a forum.

Another suggestion is that Bolton needs to consider the question of its "nightime economy" closely. The consultants observed that although the town centre attracted young people there was not a lot of variety to attract older people. Drakes Jardine, who are also involved in producing a slogan for the Marketing Manchester initiative for the region, believe that Bolton's new image should not fight its big neighbour.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.