THEY are up there with the big brands.

Bournemouth Tourism has been shortlisted for a major award alongside the likes of Renault Clio, Manchester United, Specsavers, 02 and Natwest.

The team have been shortlisted for the Best Viral Campaign award, showcasing their very popular You Tube video Bournemouth vs. California, which gained coverage on national and worldwide media.

The UK Social Media & Communications Awards celebrates the very best in social media communications and will be held in London on October 24.

Bournemouth Tourism Marketing Group (BTMG) developed the idea for the viral video – a parody of the Visit California TV adverts and successfully launched the video on You Tube in February.

It saw a flurry of interest from media around the world including Visit California itself.

Big name brands such as Manchester United and Renault Clio will be alongside Bourne-mouth Tourism at the awards in the hope that they are also in with a chance of winning the same award.

Mark Cribb, vice-chairman of the Bournemouth Tourism Marketing Group said: “This shows that Bournemouth can compete on a global stage and punches above its weight when it comes to marketing campaigns.

“This has been achieved with just a small in-house team at Bournemouth Tourism, who show that when it comes to promoting our town – nobody does it better.”