The idea behind the #LondonIsOpen campaign was to reinforce London as a place that remains entrepreneurial, international, full of creativity and possibility, and to reassure visitors and foreign communities, including EU citizens, that they would always be welcome and any form of discrimination would not be tolerated.

This campaign was launched with a simple creative idea, showcased in a short shareable film, which saw Londoners opening their doors, to symbolise the welcoming nature of the city.

The brave campaign aimed to showcase the spirit of tolerance, generosity and optimism that existed in the capital at a time of widespread uncertainty, racial tension and insecurity.

The tagline #LondonIsOpen was created to spread the message to the world that London is Open: for business, tourism, collaboration and creativity.

The message was designed to reach across all ethnicities, cultures, genders and ages at a time of significant tension.

“London Is Open” headlined the front page of the Evening Standard at launch, noting the backing of PM Theresa May. The doors opening film went viral, after premiering at Stevie Wonder’s Hyde Park concert.

Supportive films were released in the succeeding months driving the message through key London influencers including: Jude Law, Gemma Arterton, Rio Ferdinand, Niall Horan, Sir Mo Farah, Gurinder Chadha, and major business figures, including Sir Richard Branson.

The campaign gathered momentum after being endorsed by 50 West End theatre casts, becoming the unofficial London Fashion Week hashtag, a #LondonIsOpen-inspired Underground art exhibition, and lighting up Wembley Stadium’s Arch after London’s major football clubs showed their support.

#LondonIsOpen incurred widespread positive coverage after the Mayor hosted a free Trafalgar Square screening, attended by thousands, premiering Oscar-nominated film ‘The Salesman’, after director Asghar Farhadi was affected by the US travel ban, showing that London truly is open.

The Evening Standard front page with its ‘London Is Open’ held the attention of 2.6 million readers when the campaign launched and was followed by the video of the doors of London addresses being flung open, which itself was watched 2.3 million times, and inspired hundreds of others to create their own version.

There have been more than 1,000 pieces of positive coverage since launch, in over 43 countries, with 212,000 uses of #LondonIsOpen on Twitter and 18,000 public posts on Instagram, showcasing that the campaign’s message has become synonymous with celebrating life in London.

In all, the #LondonIsOpen films have been viewed over 5 million times and shared over 40,000 times.

Sentiment analysis showed that a fifth of Londoners were aware of the #LondonIsOpen campaign, while a majority, three in five respondents gave their backing saying they were pleased that the Mayor promotes diversity and were optimistic about the city’s future. A third of respondents said that they undertook some action after having seen #LondonIsOpen inspired artwork or videos.

The campaign continues to grow – conceived as a PR idea, #LondonIsOpen is now central to all of GLA and Visit London’s through-the-line communications and wider strategy to appeal to Londoners and visitors alike.