Wigan Council recently released their latest offering in a series of comedic online videos aiming to draw investment to the North West, and the video has received over 370,000 views on YouTube since it’s launch on 19th October.
The short video, titled Zoltar Declares – Wigan Has The Plan!, has been produced to both parody the media’s reaction to June’s historic EU referendum results, and reassure viewers that we will come out of the other side in a strong position – all thanks to Wigan and their plan.
The video is just the latest in a series of successful viral hits from Wigan Council as part of their Wigan Works campaign. In March 2016 they released HyperBrain, another short film which used comedy to communicate their message, and received over 270,000 views on YouTube as a result.
Zoltar Declares – Wigan Has The Plan! features the robotic fairground fortuneteller predicting the future following June’s Brexit vote. Zoltar announces a rather gloomy outlook for Britain before realising that he’s accidentally used the wrong crystal ball. Zoltar then re-reads the future, and discovers that Wigan has the plan that will solve all of our problems.
Wigan’s plan includes redeveloping the town to utilise local amenities and infrastructure, making it an appealing location to invest and base a business, both small and large. An incredible 76 per cent of the world’s top 25 food companies have a base in Wigan, and major brands such as Poundland and Heinz call the town their home.
Councillor David Molyneux, cabinet member for regeneration, says, ‘While our Zoltar video is tongue in cheek, our team at Wigan Council are deadly serious when it comes to attracting business to Wigan Borough. We have a proactive and supportive business team who are ready to help businesses with expert advice. We also have a willing and plentiful workforce, excellent local primary and secondary schools and beautiful countryside.
In the heart of the North West, Wigan has a superb road and rail network, and is just a short distance from both Manchester and Liverpool. House prices in Wigan are 16 per cent less than in nearby Manchester, and Council Tax in the borough is the second cheapest in the area.
It has also been announced that the HS2 rail link has been extended to include Wigan, which means Wigan will connect to Birmingham in just 35 minutes and London in under 90 minutes.
These qualities show that Zoltar hasn’t just plucked a name at random. Wigan is a passionate town and they are welcoming businesses into the area with open arms.
Councillor Molyneux says, ‘Wigan is open for business and our Wigan Works campaign shows we are very business-minded. We have a top class workforce ready to fulfil the new opportunities coming our way.’
For more information on the campaign and Wigan’s plan, visit the Wigan Works website.
