Birmingham's Bullring has launched a £500,000 marketing campaign in the run-up to the crucial Christmas trading period.

Operating under the banner theme "Be At The Centre of Everything", the campaign has the city at its core. The idea is to encourage current non-Bullring users to view Birmingham in a new light.

Through a series of subheadings - "There's no point being on the outskirts if you want to be at the centre of things" and, "If you want to be at the edge, you'd better be at the centre" - the creative concept has been designed to challenge people to acknowledge the "excitement and glamour of city life".

It also aims to promote the Bullring's central location as a positive factor. The acclaimed British Oscar- nominated actress Sophie Okonedo can be heard doing the voice-overs for TV and radio campaigns.

Marketing controller Georgina Kelly said: "Bullring's city centre location, its vibe and its diversity, will always be an essential part of what it is.

"The challenge for us is to make these qualities come across was what they really are - playful and pleasurable - rather than unsettling or scary.

She said the centre was a major success with over 60 million people throughthe doors in just two years of trading, but she said there were still people that had not yet come back to the new-look city.

They were generally people who were still remembering the the "Birmingham of old."

Ms Kelly said: "We want to show this group that contemporary and urban does not always mean edgy.

"In fact, being in a city can be a highly-civilised and stimulating - even indulgent - experience."

Created by London-based agency Isobel, Bullring's new advertising campaign will run across TV and radio with national press inserts and limited city centre poster sites.

Across all elements, copy will be kept to a minimum to focus on Bullring's key offerings - 160 shops, 25 restaurants and 3,000 parking spaces - and will dwell on the retailers, designers and products that are unique to Bullring in the Midlands.

All elements will draw on animation with graphics intended to convey a central energy.

"We wanted people to sit up and take notice of the adverts and we were far from convinced that shots of a shopping centre and smiling families would do this", said Ms Kelly.

"Through brightly coloured animation, lively graphics and catchy music, our TV adverts will certainly stand out at what can be a cluttered time of year."

The advertising will be supported by a PR campaign to highlight the good things in life at Bullring.

Managed by Birmingham agency Willoughby Public Relations, the autumn programme includes weekly fashion tours targeting influential women's groups across the region.

Bullring has also joined forces with Marketing Birmingham in a joint sponsorship of the Birmingham Bites campaign at the BBC Good Food show and is staging a series of family-focused events at half term.