Distinctive Dispatch #27: Building community with clear communication
Why places need proper comms support; welcoming Heather McKay to the team; sharing our purposeful growth story; how to boost your LinkedIn presence.
Better comms for people, places and work
It’s an exciting, busy time for the Distinctive crew. We start our fourth year in good shape, welcoming new colleagues and clients and supporting powerful, purposeful projects.
This edition focuses on places. With the government’s ‘build, build, build’ mantra central to its growth ambitions, we’re pressing for ‘comms, comms, comms’ when it comes to new homes and communities. At every stage of the process, place-makers need to maintain and adapt their messages. And, if they’re talking to communities, they need to listen too.
As ever, we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have suggestions on what you’d like us to cover in future, let us know in the comments or get in touch.
Place-making through communication
Almost five years ago, I moved into a house. And it was just that; one of only five finished houses on a building site, part of a wider new development.
Jump forward to today, and I live in a vibrant neighbourhood. The same house, now with a local shop and café, (mostly) reliable buses, multiple play parks, and a network of footpaths.
There are community groups and run clubs, a book swap cupboard, and an honesty box with produce from the local farm. Nearby, Exeter Science Park and the Voco Zeal hotel add to the area’s gravitas. It even shows up on Google Maps (finally!).
Together, these things provide a sense of identity that makes a place.
Where I live now is a community. In place-making terms, particularly for new towns, that’s the goal. Until it arrives, new homes can exist in limbo. A collection of houses with no real cohesion. And that can be hard to sell.
This is the chicken-and-egg scenario facing developers, who may feel they can’t build the facilities and amenities that define a community without first selling homes first. And moving to what’s effectively a building site for several years isn’t for everyone.
That’s where story-telling, underpinned by strategic communication, becomes essential to bridge the gap between vision and reality.
A strong place-making narrative can build support for a development. It’s crucial during the planning application stages, and remains just as vital as construction begins and residents move in.
Strong visions for successful new communities draw on what a place has to offer – great transport links, connection to the countryside, or the styles and tenures of housing. They should be clear on what facilities are simply aspirational and which are guaranteed. Highlighting these elements creates an emotional and a practical connection, giving prospective residents and stakeholders a reason to believe in the project’s potential.
Keep communicating
Excellent communication doesn’t stop at planning consultations or glossy new home collateral. It’s an ongoing commitment to keeping residents informed and engaged.
Regular newsletters, social media updates, or community forums can provide clarity on timelines, celebrate milestones, and address concerns. Without them, there’s a void, which is often filled with speculation and misinformation.
In my experience, there was a lack of clear updates about the progress of community facilities. ‘Promised’ opening dates for the Tesco Express and café came and went, the completed park stayed fenced off for weeks, and there’s still plenty of hearsay about what’s coming next in the area.
This is why proactive, transparent communication is crucial. A steady stream of accurate, timely updates would manage expectations and maintain trust.
The proof, of course, is in the delivery. While the groundworks were there (literally), the lack of clear communication about delays left residents feeling disconnected. A robust communication strategy that anticipates questions, addresses setbacks openly, and celebrates the wins can help transform a building site into a community-in-the-making.
By combining a strong place-making narrative with consistent, transparent communication, developers can secure support and also nurture a sense of place which turns houses into homes.
Heather McKay joins the Distinctive team
We’re delighted to welcome Heather McKay to the team this week as PR and content executive. Heather joins us from Stantec, where she was content manager responsible for the engineering consultancy’s social media, PR and content output. Before that, she worked for BBC Countryfile Magazine, commissioning and editing stories, as well as developing website content and growing social media channels.
We’re looking forward to working with Heather to support our clients and our own team’s continued success.
Things we’ve seen
Battle for users in the social app download charts: In the battle of the ‘X replacement’ in social media land, Threads (Meta's social media platform) has reached more than 350m monthly active users, just shy of more than 10 times more than Bluesky at around 36m users (all at time of writing). While Threads pulls ahead in terms of users, it’s important to remember quality rather than just quantity. I don’t think the battle for users is over quite yet.
Things we’ve read
Dinosaur leaders seen off by being out of step - Make Work Better: Bruce Daisley looks at recent high-profile CEO exits at Boots and WPP, which followed after pushing rigid return-to-office rules that landed badly with some staff. While the reasons for the departures are multifaceted, the importance of earning trust comes through in the piece. A timely reminder that leaders who ignore how their teams risk extinction.
Is AI rewiring our minds? Scientists probe cognitive cost of chatbots - Washington Post: Recent studies raise red flags about AI’s impact on our brains. In lab tests using EEG, participants who wrote essays via ChatGPT showed significantly lower brain activity, produced generic content, and couldn't remember what they'd written - and appeared to underperform in creativity and memory compared to peers using only their own thinking or Google search. It’s a fast-moving matter with different perspectives, as PR Agency One head James Crawford argued last week.
Things we’ve heard
Faking it to make It - When it hits the fan: Simon Lewis and David Yelland talk about authenticity and how this is presented and managed through PR. Authenticity for business leaders, they suggest, is all about consistency and being true to yourself. For brands, it’s about showing (not just telling) your values and characteristics. The pair also discuss the risks and impact of inauthenticity.
The Dove and the Pigeon - Mariana in Conspiracyland: In the second series of this BBC Radio 4 series, Marianna Spring investigates how anti-medicine ideas can take root, and the consequences when they do. It features Paloma Shemirani, a bright 22-year-old with a treatable cancer diagnosis. She initially rejected chemotherapy under pressure from her mother, Kate Shemirani, a prominent conspiracy theorist and struck-off nurse, and later died of lymphoma. Spring’s clear-eyed reporting traces how misinformation and fringe beliefs spread online, and how they can cost lives.
Things we’ve said
The power of PR in the commercial property landscape: In recent years, requirements for office space shifted dramatically as the world of work changed. Increasingly, businesses no longer seek solely functional spaces. We hear regularly of a ‘flight to quality’, where employers prioritise good locations and working environments that inspire and motivate employees. But how can developers and property managers promote these transformed spaces? Here are thoughts on how strategic story-telling can help.
Scaling a business with stories, strategy and heart - ScaleUp Radio: Ben’s conversation with BizSmart’s Granger Forson talked about the culture, challenges and campaigns that shaped Distinctive’s first three years. It’s the first time Ben’s spoken publicly about why he set Distinctive up and what he’s learned since then. Thanks to the ScaleUp team for the opportunity, and to those who took the time to listen and engage.
The £51bn wake-up call: Why employee wellbeing can’t wait - South West Business Insider: Collette Flowerdew Kinkaid’s feature on employer wellbeing features Ben’s comments about our commitment to flexible working and supporting staff, as part of our efforts to build a strong team.
Tips to boost your LinkedIn profile as a young professional: Last month, I was pleased to present to more than people in Exeter giving tips on polishing your LinkedIn profile and building better connections. It was part of my work with the Exeter Chamber NextGen group, designed for and delivered by young professionals in the city. This post shares a summary of the tips I covered at the session.
Hello, Insta 👋: We’re on Instagram as @distinctivecomms. Follow us for updates, comms tips and insights. We’ll be pleased to follow you back.
We take a well-earned break in August and return in September. See you on the other side. Thanks to everyone who reads and comments on this newsletter. We welcome suggestions on what to cover, please get in touch.