Greater Liège’s City Marketing Campaign
Client Gre Liège / Creative Direction Bastien Braconnier / Creative Sparring Giulia Canis, Mélissa Wilmet, Artan Rushidi / Artistic Direction Romain De Paepe / Project Management Giulia Canis / Videos Melvin Fernandez, John Akwete / Photos Bastien Braconnier, John Akwete / Website Jonas Thiry
“Luik is niet leuk” is a bold city marketing campaign from Liège, right in the heart of Antwerp.
Liège is well known. Very well known, actually. But its reputation only tells part of the story. Behind the image of a warm, festive and deeply human city lies a territory driven by industry, research, innovation, culture and entrepreneurship. Greater Liège’s challenge wasn’t to build awareness. It was to shift perception.
For its launch, Braconnier created a deliberately provocative campaign aimed at the Flemish audience: Luik is niet leuk, which literally means “Liège isn’t nice.”
A simple, slightly cheeky play on words that turns one of Liège’s most familiar stereotypes on its head. And to make sure it wouldn’t go unnoticed, we chose to do less, but bigger: a bold presence in the heart of Antwerp, including a 250 sqm billboard. A QR code embedded directly into the campaign invites passers-by to go beyond the headline and discover the facts behind it on the Greater Liège website. The billboard grabs attention. The website provides the proof.
Because provocation only works if you can back it up.
The campaign therefore extends into a digital platform built entirely around proof. Behind every statement are facts, figures, companies, innovations, talents and achievements revealing another side of Liège. More precise. More ambitious. More contemporary.
We designed the campaign as a simple journey: challenge, create doubt, provide proof, shift perception. Because sometimes, if you want people to see a place differently, you have to start by telling them exactly what they don’t expect to hear.
Client: GRE Liège
Agency: Braconnier
Creative Direction: Bastien Braconnier
Creative Sparring: Giulia Canis, Mélissa Wilmet, Artan Rushidi
Artistic Direction: Romain De Paepe
Project Management: Giulia Canis
Videos: Melvin Fernandez, John Akwete
Photos: Bastien Braconnier, John Akwete
Web design: Romain De Paepe
Web development: Jonas Thiry