As an overview of a recent campaign, the reimage of Manchester is to be considered. As a post industrial city (Holcomb, 1994) Manchester’s city centre area underwent an enforced reimaging after the bombing in 1996. Manchester is now being represented as something else, other than relying on its traditional past, in order to sold. Modification of its image has been undertaken, with particular regard to selective parts of its identity, and as a consequence the original manufacturing identity has been modified and distorted to reposition it. This process of re-presentation is discussed by Barke and Harrop (1994) as being one of five factors which provide the catalyst for successful direction changes in industrial areas.

Martin and Mason (1988) identify three changes of direction components which may all apply to Manchester: Firstly, the development of a major new physical facility (in this case many, including the Bridgewater Hall, Urbis, City…