Funded Projects 2014-2020

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Project Story Tagging

Project Acronym Story Tagging
Project Title A digital platform to enhance the market reach of creative SMEs by collecting, mapping and bringing stories to life
Project subsite

Summary

Story Tagging will increase the market reach of creative industry SME’s by developing a digital platform (accessed via Apps & a website) that will allow creatives to harness (as stories) much of what makes Northern localities distinctive to the people who live & work there: place, identity & community; folklore; cultural heritage; landscape & natural heritage, etc.

The platform is the key output of the project & underpins all project objectives. Partners will work with local communities to gather stories that celebrate these local heritage assets, unique to the NPA area.

Up to 30 stories will be collected in each partner country & mapped via the platform (enhanced from RGU’s existing story trails platform).  Of these, 10-15 will be recorded by local storytellers in audio format & mapped. Project partners will work with creative SMEs to bring stories to life through new products or works. Partners will collaborate with 5 SMEs selected in a transparent process in each country (8 in Scotland). 

The project will promote the Story tagging platform internationally & digital marketing models will be applied to enhance the market reach of participating creatives. Visitors accessing stories will access information about participating SMEs & their products & works.  Links will allow online visitors to purchase, access & participate remotely.  The platform will push online traffic to established tourist & visitor information sites. The platform will collect data analytics, allowing creative to better understand their customers/ audience & to help design & refine future products & works. 

At project end, the platform will be available to communities & creatives across the NPA area & a not-for profit business model will be adopted to sustain the digital platform. The platform will also host a skills hub (with training materials on harnessing stories, digital marketing & data analytics) to enhance the capacity of communities & creative SMEs across the wider region.

Objectives

The project objectives are:

  • To develop a digital platform that allows creative industry SMEs to increase their market visibility and reach though harnessing and bringing to life stories that celebrate the unique local natural and cultural heritage of northern communities. 
  • To work with local communities and storytellers to collect, curate and map stories that celebrate local cultural and natural heritage in text and audio form for curation and mapping via the digital platform
  • To recruit local creative SMEs to bring stories to life through new products or works. Use the digital platform to promote participating SMEs and their products/ works, to enhance the marketing reach of SMEs and to enhance their ability to use data analytics

Impacts

Tangible

Business development:

Storytagging project showed how stories can be used authentically and creatively to support small businesses in remote areas. Local creative SMEs such as artists, crafters, and musicians were invited to choose one of the collected stories from their location as inspiration for their new creative work or a marketing idea. More than 20 products were created such as textiles, ceramics, podcasts, sculpture, etc. Businesses also received guidance and training on how to use stories to market and promote their ventures, and to use social media.

 

Intangible

Raising awareness:

Over 80 stories celebrating the history, archaeology, traditions, folklore, landscape, and environment across the NPA area were collected and are shared on Northword digital platform. These stories, legends, or myths, about a person, a place, a true event, or an object are deeply connected with their locations and communities and are part of their cultural heritage.

Throughout its events and cooperation with local creative SMEs, the project also raised awareness of local craft activities and strengthened the connection between small businesses and their communities.

 

Lead Partner

Partners

Project Info

Theme
Creative industries, visual and performing arts, design, media
Priority
2 Entrepreneurship
Objective
2.2 Greater market reach
Project duration
30-04-20 to 29-04-22
Total budget
999 758 EUR
NPA co-financing
649 842 EUR
Target groups
enterprise, including SME
business support organisation
Other
Joint Secretariat Desk Officer
Kalle Pakalèn