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The brief

LocalMotion is a social, economic and environmental justice movement shaped and led by communities. Formed by six UK funders, it brings together six places across England and Wales to explore new ways of tackling embedded inequalities and shifting power to communities themselves. LocalMotion asked Barley to create a brand from scratch — one that unified the ambition of the six places and funders, articulated their distinct systems change approach, galvanised those already involved and inspired others to join the movement.

Insights and approach

As a brand development agency experienced in charity brand creation and systems change branding, Barley began with a deep immersion into the movement. This included extensive desk research into UK and US systems change initiatives, such as Living Cities, and how similar organisations expressed their ethos and role. We also carried out interviews with core groups in each of LocalMotion’s six places to understand the movement’s purpose in their own words and what they most needed from a brand.

It became clear that LocalMotion required a brand that was bold but approachable — capable of expressing the complexity of systems change while remaining accessible to communities, funders and partners. We distilled the movement’s multi-layered story into clear, engaging messaging that could resonate across a wide range of audiences.Given LocalMotion’s democratic way of working, the development process was collaborative by design. We coordinated regular feedback from the full LocalMotion cohort through surveys and in-person sessions, refining concepts step by step until the group reached collective agreement.

Results

Barley created a simple but striking brand that reflects the movement’s ethos and provides the clarity LocalMotion needed to grow. At its centre sits an uplifting logo featuring a human silhouette, representing community power, and a floating ‘i’ dot symbolising progress and movement. A rounded graphic language conveys approachability, connectedness and the foundations of long-term change, while a warm palette accented with vivid orange signals both optimism and urgency.

Alongside the visual identity, we developed a complete set of messaging guidelines — including vision, mission, values and a concise brand story. These replaced previously complex, technical language with a clearer, more engaging narrative that supports conversations across all six places and beyond.Following the success of the branding project, Barley now supports LocalMotion with ongoing communications, including social media and content development, helping the movement connect, share learning and continue to grow.

The brief

In its 700th anniversary year, Leadenhall Market asked Barley to help increase footfall and re-engage City workers, London residents and tourists. As a creative events agency partner, our goal was to reinvigorate the Market’s profile and position it as an iconic, vibrant and culturally rich destination. We were tasked with raising brand awareness, boosting visitor numbers, and driving renewed interest in the historic space through an integrated tourism communications campaign.

Insights and approach

Creativity sat at the heart of our destination marketing strategy. With footfall recovering after the pandemic, we saw an opportunity to use the Market’s unique architecture and public spaces to host eye-catching cultural activations that would reintroduce people to the area.

We designed an ambitious programme of events to attract diverse audiences and deepen digital engagement. Working with cultural partners who also needed post-pandemic visibility, we transformed vacant units and open spaces into pop-up galleries, performances and exhibits. Art, music, dance and museum collections were brought directly to visitors, offering a varied and accessible experience throughout the year.

To reach Londoners and tourists beyond the weekday crowd, we collaborated with brands with strong existing followings, hiring out space for weekend and evening events. This helped drive discovery and prompted return visits when the Market’s retail offer was fully open.Across 2021, Barley delivered 20 activations — from mood-enhancing ‘bird-song’ windows during lockdown, to a neon exhibition by God’s Own Junkyard, to the UK’s first dedicated “Dogstagram” photo station complete with themed props and influencer partnerships. Each activation was designed to spark curiosity, encourage sharing, and reinforce the Market’s position as a must-visit London destination.

Results

Our integrated approach delivered substantial growth in visibility, engagement and footfall. Media coverage was overwhelmingly positive, supported by strong social content that significantly expanded the Market’s online audience. The campaign helped transform public perception of Leadenhall Market, showcasing it as a lively cultural space rather than solely a retail destination.
This shift translated directly into real-world impact. Footfall increased sharply across 2021, demonstrating that creative programming and strategic communications can successfully re-energise historic sites and attract new audiences back into central London.

  • 20

    events

  • 435

    items of media coverage

  • 1.4bn

    opportunities to see/hear

  • 25%

    increase in social media followers

  • 32%

    growth in Instagram followers

  • 91%

    average increase in monthly footfall (2021 vs April–December 2020)

  • 73%

    rise in visitor numbers between July–September (vs same period in 2020)

“

Barley Communications have been superb in terms of active PR and event ideas during the pandemic which was desperately needed. I could not wish for a better, flexible, innovative agency to work with.

Sarah Trillwood

Asset Manager, Leadenhall Market

The brief

In summer 2020, more than a million people visited Bournemouth’s beaches across a three-day period, leaving around 40 tonnes of rubbish and triggering a Major Incident. In response, Hubbub and Ellipsis Earth launched a litter reduction campaign across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), funded by McDonald’s. Using drone technology and artificial intelligence (AI), Ellipsis Earth carried out the UK’s most comprehensive litter survey to inform targeted interventions across beaches, parks and urban areas. Barley was asked to develop a compelling media campaign that would drive local behaviour change, amplify public understanding of the issue, and inspire other councils to adopt similar evidence-based approaches.

Insights and approach

With international travel still limited and England only recently emerging from lockdown, public spaces were expected to experience unprecedented footfall. This presented a rare moment to capture attention and encourage more responsible behaviour.

We used three ground-breaking datasets from Ellipsis Earth to anchor the campaign’s narrative across social media, local outlets and national media. Data from the initial May survey revealed over 1.5 tonnes of litter comprising 128,000 individual items—a 476% increase in littering compared with the March baseline. These findings provided the urgency and credibility needed to engage diverse audiences.Barley developed a phased media strategy aligned with each survey. Engaging early with BBC Click allowed the programme to follow the campaign’s progress over several months, while continued outreach ensured fresh coverage every time new evidence emerged. This sustained national interest and built momentum for the behavioural interventions being tested across the BCP area.

Results

The campaign achieved a 75% average reduction in litter where Hubbub’s interventions were installed, with some sites recording decreases of nearly 90%. In contrast, levels around the area’s 350 standard bins remained unchanged—demonstrating the value of targeted, insight-driven approaches.

Local media played a critical role in mobilising residents and visitors, while national coverage—including BBC News, ITV’s This Morning, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail—elevated the issue and showcased the effectiveness of the interventions. Trade coverage helped generate interest from retailers and councils exploring similar environmental behaviour change initiatives.The programme is now widely regarded as a blueprint for data-led waste management, informing approaches used by councils such as Glasgow City Council.

82

pieces of coverage

158m

opportunities to see/hear

75%

average reduction in litter

90%

reduction in some areas

“

It is a joy working with Barley. They combine great strategic insight with an ability to tenaciously deliver results. On top of that they are an absolute pleasure to work with.

Trewin Restorick

CEO and Founder, Hubbub

The brief

Hubbub asked us to help raise national awareness of its Plastic Fishing initiative — an inventive programme tackling plastic pollution by inspiring people to rethink the value of waste. Between 2017 and 2019, the charity launched the world’s first boats made from 99% recycled plastic. These vessels were designed to clean up UK waterways and spark a wider conversation about recycling and responsible disposal. Barley was tasked with managing the media launches of the boats — Poly-Mer, Vitamin Sea, Poly Roger and PET Project — and securing strong public engagement.

Insights and approach

We recognised the power of the boats themselves as compelling visual stories. For the launches of Poly-Mer and PET Project we coordinated a high-impact photo, filming and interview opportunity for the boats’ maiden voyages. Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey MP joined a Plastic Fishing trip alongside local schoolchildren, helping to reinforce the initiative’s educational value.

Our media strategy focused on broad reach and relevance. We targeted commuter press, London-wide and local London outlets, national media, online news, broadcast, children’s news and trade titles. We also provided broadcasters with behind-the-scenes footage of the boats being built to strengthen interest and coverage.For Poly Roger’s Plastic Fishing Tour across Manchester, Scotland, Birmingham and Bristol, we supported Hubbub to partner with local organisations and volunteers. This ensured each stop had community ownership and delivered hands-on experiences for schoolchildren and businesses. We arranged a national exclusive with the Daily Mirror ahead of the announcement and coordinated tailored local launches with spokespeople in each region. Messaging encouraged the public to help stem the flow of plastic into rivers and waterways through simple behaviour changes.

Results

Our work drove national visibility for Hubbub’s mission and helped establish Plastic Fishing as a recognisable, practical approach to tackling plastic pollution.

  • The Poly-Mer launch generated 119 pieces of coverage, reaching an estimated 124 million opportunities to see or hear.
  • PET Project secured 47 items of coverage and almost 106 million opportunities to see or hear.
  • The 2019 Plastic Fishing Tour delivered 301 coverage items and nearly 118 million opportunities to see or hear across four locations.

The activity also inspired real-world behaviour change. Plastic Fishing participants collected 2,233 bottles and 192 bags of general waste during the tour. In London, more than 2,500 people have taken part, reclaiming over 300kg of recyclable plastic — with 90% pledging not to buy a plastic bottle for a month afterwards.

2,203

plastic bottles collected

192

bags of general waste collected

2,500

people who have been plastic fishing

300kg

recyclable plastic reclaimed

The brief

Londoners use around 7.7 billion plastic water bottles every year — 10% of all litter in the Thames and a major source of ocean pollution.

Borough Market wanted to lead by example. The Market committed to becoming the first in the UK to phase out bottled water, installing public drinking fountains and setting a goal to stop selling bottled water within six months.

Our challenge was to show that putting the environment ahead of profit can be both practical and powerful — inspiring others to follow suit.

Insights and approach

Our communications strategy positioned Borough Market as a credible pioneer of sustainable retail.

We delivered an integrated PR and social campaign encouraging visitors to refill rather than buy single-use bottles, while also targeting large organisations across London and the UK to adopt similar measures.

To ensure authenticity, we contextualised the initiative within the Market’s wider sustainability journey — demonstrating that this was no ‘greenwash’ but a genuine commitment to environmental responsibility.

Strong visuals were central to our approach. We developed a bright, engaging visual identity for the fountains, including posters, floor vinyl and reusable bottles. The story was amplified through proactive media relations and a social campaign using #BoroughFountains, extending reach through user-generated content and influencer engagement.

Results

The campaign received national and international attention, with coverage from The Guardian, Mail Online, BBC, The Sun, Telegraph, Metro, and Huffington Post.

Borough Market was hailed by Mintel as “leading the way in one of four key European sustainability trends to follow for 2018”. The initiative influenced announcements from the Mayor of London, UK Government, and Network Rail, all referencing Borough Market’s leadership. Nearly a year later, media continued to call for interviews and comment — testament to the campaign’s enduring influence.

  • 107

    pieces of coverage

  • 372m

    opportunities to see/hear

  • 30,000

    shares of The Guardian article on social media

  • 66,000

    views of the BBC London video on Facebook

  • 6,000

    people per week using Borough Market drinking fountains

“

Barley were the natural choice for us when looking to launch our public water fountains and becoming the first Market to phase out the use of single use plastic bottles. The team at Barley swiftly developed a great understanding of our organisation, our values and objectives. They worked with us to develop a brand identity and campaign in a very short time scale and the results speak for themselves – national and international print, online and broadcast coverage which far exceeded our expectations.

Kate Howell

Development and Communications Director, Borough Market

The brief

Every day up to seven million coffee cups are thrown away across the UK, with less than one per cent recycled. To tackle this challenge, Hubbub launched the Square Mile Challenge — the UK’s first large-scale coffee cup recycling initiative — in partnership with the City of London Corporation, major café brands and cup manufacturers.Barley was asked to shape the recycling communications campaign, providing a clear media strategy, creative ideas and launch execution. The goal was to build public awareness, engage employers across the City, and help recycle 500,000 cups in April and five million by the end of 2017.

Insights and approach

To cut through in a crowded sustainability landscape, we positioned the Square Mile Challenge as the first truly collaborative, cross-industry effort to fix coffee cup recycling — a model that could be scaled across the UK.

We began by targeting City employers through national consumer and specialist trade media. This early push exceeded expectations, with 36 organisations adopting workplace recycling systems against a target of 30.

For the campaign launch, we created striking visual moments designed for press and social channels. A sculpture of the London skyline made from recycled cups and a coffee-cup choir performing outside Liverpool Street station generated powerful imagery and a memorable public experience. We coupled this with a focused burst of London and national media relations to maximise visibility.Barley also led communications for Hubbub’s partnership with Starbucks to trial a 5p disposable cup charge across 35 London stores — providing strategic counsel, narrative development and press handling. Later, we amplified momentum by responding rapidly to the government’s budget announcement with a supportive statement on the proposed ‘Latte Levy’, securing further national attention and reinforcing Hubbub’s leadership on behaviour change communications.

Results

Barley delivered sustained, high-impact coverage that drove public engagement and workplace participation. The campaign launch achieved 224 pieces of coverage and 307 million opportunities to see across national and London outlets, helping the initiative reach — and surpass — its target of recycling 500,000 cups in April 2017. By year-end, five million cups had been collected.

Strategic media response to political developments unlocked another wave of interest. The Starbucks trial, supported by our communications, resulted in a 150 per cent increase in reusable cup uptake and informed the chain’s decision to roll out the charge nationwide.The success of the Square Mile Challenge catalysed wider behaviour change, inspiring similar on-the-go recycling initiatives in Leeds, Swansea and Edinburgh through the ‘Leeds By Example’ and #InTheLoop programmes.

  • 851

    coverage items

  • 882m

    opportunities to see/hear

  • 7.3m

    Twitter impressions at launch

  • 3.2m

    Twitter reach at launch

  • 510k

    cups recycled in April 2017

  • 5m

    cups recycled in 2017

“

Barley Communications made a huge contribution to the success of Square Mile Challenge. The media reach from both the campaign announcement and campaign launch were beyond our expectations. The announcement coverage helped us to generate further sponsorship for the campaign and ensured that we surpassed our target of signing up 30 businesses to the scheme, while the launch coverage was widespread and contributed to us hitting the target of 500,000 cups in April. The Barley team are always proactive, tenacious, professional and very much an extension of the Hubbub team.

Gavin Ellis

Co-founder, Hubbub

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