A journey of love
through Knokke and Heist
11
Sea of love
Knokke-Heist
Sea of Love is a campaign that leaves no one untouched. One that celebrates grand emotions while finding its way into the smallest corners. One that overwhelms you with love and allows Knokke-Heist to shine in all its facets.
This project was commissioned following a public tender by Knokke-Heist, which we were selected to deliver. The central question was: how can we address vacancy in the municipality after the pandemic in a unique and meaningful way? Not merely from a functional perspective, but in a way that impacts the experience, appearance and vitality of the streetscape.
We developed a concept that did not hide vacant properties, but transformed them into carriers of stories and emotion. From strategy to execution, the project was rolled out as one coherent narrative, guided by a clear vision and a strong creative translation. The campaign proved its impact: vacancy rates decreased and the shopping districts regained energy and attention.
Knokke-Heist declares its love. In other words, Knokke-Heist is a true coup de cœur — the holiday romance you keep falling for, time and time again. And because love works both ways, Knokke-Heist returns that affection. By shouting it from the rooftops, but also by leaving little love notes behind, messages for the people strolling through its streets. We highlighted the municipality’s retail assets and focused on the most important shopping streets and squares of both Knokke and Heist.
Windows of Love
Knokke
Knokke-Heist invited a range of artists to declare their love through words, images, audio and more on the windows of its vacant properties. Diverse works connected by a single thread: they are made to move you, make you smile, fascinate you and inspire you to share them. Just like a lover revealing their most romantic side, Knokke-Heist does everything it can to put a smile on your face.
- Jill Mathieu – L’amour, la mer
- Brihang – Love Rhymes
- Lectrr – Love Boat
- Klassiek Leeft – Symphony of Love
- Floor Denil – Love Is a Comical Thing
- De Vrienden van het Zoute – Love Is in a Woman’s Voice
- Edwin Menue – Recipes for Love
- Ruth Van de Steene – Snippets of Love
- John Noseda – Love on the Dancefloor
- Louise Mertens – Love Is the Seventh Sense
Tiny Love Notes — Heist
As Heist is a favourite destination for families, we created an interactive treasure hunt in the town centre. Parents and children set off in search of love-filled messages hidden throughout the streetscape.
Visitors collect a route map and sticker sheet from the transparent display holder attached to the information panel on Heldenplein. This marks the starting point of the route. Using the map, participants search for the various love notes. Whenever they find one, they match the corresponding symbol on the sticker sheet and place the correct sticker on the map.
Once all ten stickers have been collected and placed in the right locations, participants can exchange their completed map at the Knokke Tourism Office for a small reward: a bag of delightful sugar-heart sweets.
Knokke-Heist is the soundtrack of seagulls and salt in your hair. It is terraces and boutiques, ice creams and stolen moments. Far niente, sand between your toes. It is the dune-coloured beer and the colours of the galleries. Briny water as far as the eye can see and six oysters on your plate.
In Knokke-Heist, it is the paradox that seduces. The one found in the beach cabins and the casino on the promenade. The tranquillity of the Zwin and the click-clack of heels as the sun settles in for the evening. A place where a pause can be a café glacé, or simply two feet in the surf. La mer, wrote Régis Jauffret, imite le bruit du bonheur
That sound deserves a loudspeaker. Because while New York may be the city that never sleeps, Knokke-Heist is the seaside town that never falls silent. It is a place with a voice, and one that wants to be heard. More than ever, Knokke-Heist speaks to you. It tells stories in shop windows, whispers to passers-by and pays tribute to the promenade, the beach, the squares and its flâneurs.
To reinforce the campaign, we created a series of eye-catching installations in both Knokke and Heist. We also developed a physical route map containing information about the campaign and both interactive experiences.
