Small City Branding Around the World

New Book: Destination Branding for Small Cities – Second Edition, Now Released

I am pleased to announce that my second book, Destination Branding for Small Cities - Second Edition has now been released. This expanded and revised edition has updated our 7A Destination Branding Process and includes new place branding elements, advice, checklists and techniques. Some of the changes include:

• Explanations of the different forms of place branding, branding in tough times, selecting place branding expertise and the important role of product development, placemaking and wayfinding in place branding.  
• Actions to introduce a stronger strategic focus to enhance city competitiveness.
• Interesting insights from some of the world’s leading place branding consultants, academics and practitioners.
• Worldwide examples from the USA, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Australia, moving beyond the USA focus of the first.

While the title is Destination Branding for Small Cities, the underlying principles and processes can just as readily be applied to regions, counties, Downtowns, Main Streets, resorts, and even states and countries.

I hope that you enjoy this edition as much as the first. Worldwide sales are available through Amazon.com.

Why Quality of Place Matters to City Competitiveness and Sustainability

DMOs and other tourism organizations often become so consumed by their sales function that they don’t exert any influence on their community’s quality of place.  There are many places where the DMO and tourism folk don’t even have a seat at the table to discuss matters relating to the city’s quality of place and its impact on visitors – and dare I say its image and identity.

An Urban Times article by Saffron Woodcraft suggests that a city’s quality of place involves both the built and social environments.

Woodcraft argues, “Debates about urban sustainability tend to focus on improving the built environment - making it greener, more efficient, less energy intensive. However, as both urban populations and the challenges of making livable cities grow, a radical shift is needed.  Much more emphasis needs to be placed on understanding the social life of cities - how government, public agencies and urban planners can design spaces, but more importantly, services to help neighborhoods flourish socially.”

I would suggest that there is also another layer that involves visitors to the community and whether the attractors, amenities and services designed for them provide a net benefit to residents.

My friend Reyn Bowman touched on this in an interesting blog post last week where he traced the links between billboards, beautification movements and the emergence of tourism marketing organizations. Reyn said, “It is puzzling to me why so many community-destination marketing execs today seem so detached from their role as guardians and curators of sense of place.”

We hear a lot about the role of DMOs being redefined. I feel that when that clarity comes, many DMOs will have a more active role in the development and management of the city’s quality of place. After all, isn’t that an integral part of the essence of many places? It’s in the public domain, isn’t owned by any one company and it’s essential for competitiveness. When a city has a strong quality of place, it brings greater efficiencies to the DMO’s marketing functions and increased satisfaction for visitors – and residents. 

Night Economies: What’s The World’s #1 24-Hour City?

I always thought that because Frank Sinatra sang, “I want to wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep”, it inferred that New York City was the #1 place for night owls. Well it seems that New York is well down the list in a study of the world’s 24-hour cities by Marion Roberts, a professor of urban design at London’s University of Westminster and author of Planning the Night-time City. 

The BBC reports that Cairo was ranked the “most 24-hour” city of all. Next came Montevideo, Beirut, six Spanish cities (Malaga, Zaragoza, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville) and Buenos Aires. London was ranked 17th, Paris 18th and New York 32nd.

Roberts identifies many of the benefits and challenges of managing the night economy of cities. She says, “In the UK, Europe and Australia, a lot of their ‘24-hourness’ has been about extending entertainment and this has disadvantages for city center dwellers unless carefully managed. However, it does generate more jobs, activities and social solidarities.” This is a subject that cities worldwide will increasingly have to address.

Cairo might be the #1 night-time city, and it’s a great place, but I can’t imagine Frank Sinatra belting out, “Cairo – the city that never sleeps!”

Repositioning of Britain’s Industrial Cities Pays Off

It wasn’t so long ago that many of Britain’s industrial cities initiated aggressive tourism strategies and commenced city-wide efforts to reposition themselves as cultural and sporting centers. It seems that these investments have been paying off with the largest of the industrial cities establishing themselves as the UK’s most popular tourist destinations in the 2011 international visitors survey by Visit Britain.

BTN reports that while London and Edinburgh continue to maintain their traditional supremacy as the two most popular urban destinations in the UK, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and now Bristol are emerging as rival attractions.

But Manchester, with its two competing global football teams, its ultra-modern new landmark buildings such as the Lowry Centre, a new state of the art BBC media center (open to tourists) and world-class shopping is firmly in third place with 936,000 visits (up 15 per cent on 2010). Birmingham sits neatly in the fourth spot with 732,000 visitors attracted by its outstanding arts, exhibitions and one of the largest shopping centers in the UK, the Bullring, host to the best designer labels as well as accommodating 25 restaurants.

This success did not happen overnight. It has taken unwavering commitment to their visions, strong strategic foundations, sustained investments by successive governments, partnerships with private investors, and a belief by everyone that they could successfully turn the page on their industrial past.

Walkability is Vital to Small City Tourism Success

In the tourism readiness reports for small cities we develop, one of the critical success factors that we look for is their walkability. I just came across an article by Dan Burdon, “The Roads Scholar” in which he provides an excellent checklist for cities.  In the AARP article, Dan provides his checklist of the five things that make small towns walkable.  

Dan says that his rationale for the focus on walking is because, “people worldwide want to live in a town or city that is walkable. Places that seek to become more walkable and livable - everyplace from Maui to Abu Dhabi, where the prince has declared that he wants his city to become one of the five most livable in the world - must invest in the features that make it happen.”

While his checklist is really designed for the comfort of residents, it is directly applicable to the needs of tourists as well.  

Will the Hobbits be the Biggest Boost Yet For New Zealand’s Brand Awareness?

The Sydney Herald reports that Tourism New Zealand has announced the national tourism organization is very close to signing a deal with the makers of The Hobbit movies to promote the country as a tourism destination.

Released between 2001 and 2003, the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings was credited with boosting tourism to its New Zealand locations, where visitor numbers rose by 40 per cent. Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said, "I think The Hobbit is going to be that and more. We learned a lot of lessons from Lord of the Rings and we are doing everything we did back then plus some more."

The two movies by Sir Peter Jackson are expected to be a bigger boost for the country’s tourism than the three Lord of the Rings films. The first of the Hobbit movies is due for release in December.

The Lord of the Rings gave New Zealand an incredible boost and is a hard act to follow. It’s hard to believe that the Hobbit movies will top that. But then I haven’t seen the movie!

You can watch the trailer here.

Ad Featuring Argentinian Nationalism Upsets Britain

 

Tapping resident pride and patriotism is often one of the objectives of national branding efforts. The Olympic Games provide an environment in which many countries try to project their national identity in ways that will aid their economic development, advance polical objectives and boost national self esteem. However, it seems as though Argentina may have gone a tad too far in advancing its geo-political and self esteem objectives in a commercial run on local television.

The ad that features Argentinian Fernando Zylberberg, a star field-hockey player, training for the London 2012 Olympics in the Falkland Islands (the two countries fought a brief war over in 1982). The islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory, with the United Kingdom responsible for their defense and foreign affairs. The voice-over in the ad says, "to compete on English soil, we train on Argentine soil"  as Zylberberg is seen running, exercising and even climbing over a British World War I memorial.

The International Olympic Committee denounced the ad and said that it sent a letter to Argentina’s national Olympic committee saying the games should not be part of a political platform.

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Are London Games Logo and Mascots The Worst Ever?

It didn’t take this article in The Atlantic Cities to cause me to wonder if the London Olympic logo and mascots are the worst in Olympic history. From the time the logo was launched in 2005 I saw that we would be in for an interesting ride with other designs to follow. Olympic logos need to be quirky and not predictable and they should cause people to think differently about the host city and nation.

While the London Games are winning kudos for its organization, the logo and mascots have drawn ridicule over the past two years.

I agree that the logo looks like it was dropped on the floor and I think the mascots look like rejects from a kids television show.

 What do you think?

Pure Michigan Campaign Changing Michigan’s Image

 

One of the more successful state rebranding efforts in recent years has been Michigan’s Pure Michigan campaign which was launched in 2006. Paul Brown, vice president of capital services for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, provided an update recently during the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on tourism and travel in Grand Rapids.

Brown said, “That (Pure Michigan) campaign alone created a 180-degree change in people’s outlook on Michigan. That made a difference on large national banks’ willingness to lend here as well as large corporations around the country considering either moving here or using some of our resources to their advantage.”

“We were really suffering from an image problem on the business side,” said Brown. ”We were getting redlined not only from banks, but also businesses not interested in locating here or looking here as a potential market.”

“It was the commercials,” he said. "They changed everyone's perception."

When a campaign reaches the point where it is positively impacting banker’s attitudes, then it is making progress way beyond tourism. I believe that the impact to Michigan from this campaign will be long term benefits because the State wisely chose to invest in the campaign throughout the recession while competitors were cutting back. This will probably also lead to long-term increases in market share for many business sectors. A great case study for many others to follow.

Is it Possible to Successfully Rebrand or Reposition Nigeria?

Several prominent Nigerians are fueling a debate regarding the need for Nigeria to address its negative international image which is negatively impacting all regions of the country and every aspect of the economy.  They spoke at a recent event for the launch of a book by Chief Austin Nonyelim Izagbo, “Re-branding Nigeria: Leadership and the National Image Project”.

Interestingly, they suggested tackling graft, providing social amenities, increasing security, poor management of resources and improving the standard of living of citizens.

It was refreshing to see the brutal honesty of some of the officials. According to Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, who said “Leaders are often misadvised and misdirected because 99 per cent of those who approach them are sycophants, who rarely tell them the truth.” Wow! One of the essentials for successful place brands is that they must be founded on truth and devoid of self-delusion. It is truth telling like this that must be followed, otherwise Nigeria will make zero progress in addressing its image problems.

It will be very interesting to see whether they will be able to introduce the changes to cultural behavior, resource allocations and political priorities necessary to truly rebrand Nigeria.

India’s Brand Awareness Increases Need for Rural Tourism Development

The Incredible India marketing campaign launched in 2002 has increased brand awareness for India as a global destination. Despite its outstanding cultural and natural tourism assets, its development in rural areas has been patchy because of shortfalls in infrastructure and service standards. Major steps are underway to address these situations

The 2022-12 Annual Report of the Indian Ministry of Tourism reports that the Ministry has approved 160 tourism projects worth approximately $160 million, mainly in rural areas. The Ministry has given special focus to the development of important destinations and circuit routes through approval of fifty-three mega projects. Mega projects are a mix of cultural, heritage, spiritual and eco-tourism attractions. Priority is also being given to projects involving construction and upkeep of wayside amenities along highways/roads leading to tourist destinations, cleanliness at tourism sites and development of tourism in rural areas.

A study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Yes Bank identifies the positive influence that the “Incredible India” marketing campaign has had on rural areas. It recommends that there should be increased focus on capacity building in regard to human resources in key rural areas. It suggests programs to address service-oriented needs, citing this as a major reason why Indian tourism falters in some regional areas. It also highlights the need to train entrepreneurs. "Rural entrepreneurs, in recent times, have proved to be the success story of the emerging Indian economy, and provided that a clear direction is given, they can very well champion the cause of sustainable tourism models." The study also recommends conserving tradition and values, besides ensuring infrastructure development.

Several decades ago, China was referred to as “the sleeping giant”. Considering the vast tourism appeal of India I think that in tourism terms, the title aptly applies to India, and particularly many of its rural areas.

Do Places With Funny Names Play With a Handicap?

Glancing at a map of just about any country, it’s easy to find places that are playing with a handicap. Names like Mousehole (Cornwall, England), Lick Skillet (VA) and Hairy Hill (Alberta, Canada) may bring a smile to your face. But others, such as Looneyville (TX and VA), Satan’s Kingdom (Vermont), and Ugley (Essex, England) are names that could be a drawback for the town.

When it comes to destination and place branding, the name of the city, town or county is the most powerful part of its identity. It has often been said that being introduced to a brand is like meeting a person. Their name is important - it’s how we remember them, make associations, and refer to them. It’s as if there is a filing cabinet in our brains where we keep everything relevant to that name. When we hear London, Paris or Saigon, we recall the many pieces of information, thoughts and feelings, large and small, that we have assembled about each over the years, even if we have never been there.

USA Today considers ten other town names that “will make you snicker like a middle schooler”. While some have been able to trade of their unfortunate names, e.g. Hell (Grand Cayman), I guess for some of the others it acts like a mediaeval city wall to protect the place from outsiders.  

Do you know of a place with a funny name that has used it to its advantage?

Angels Camp CA Follows a Methodical Brand Development Path

I was recently drawn to an article in CalaverasEnterprise.com showing that the very small community of Angels Camp CA was methodically implementing its brand strategy. I spoke to my friend, Mary Klugherz from Great Destination Strategies who developed the brand concept for Angel’s Camp and was part of the Destination Development International team that developed the city’s brand strategy to gain a better understanding of their plans.

Mary said that the success at Angels Camp boils down to three things:

1.  A supportive city government/staff

2.  A few true brand champions

3.  Consistency and patience

She said, “Angels Camp started with a Brand Advisory Committee created during the brand development phase.  That morphed into a Brand Leadership Team, led by a local resident, who is a tireless champion.  This group has formalized into Destination Angels Camp and the organization was approved at the recent Council meeting.  They took the plan I wrote and have just followed each step slowly and methodically.  They have had the plan since late 2008, so it has been just over 3 years.  This is a great example of how a very small community (pop. 3,800) has taken a plan and followed it, even with limited resources.  They have maintained transparency in all they do and are slowly making progress.”

Mary said that she believes the six key lessons learned in Angels Camp are:

1.  It takes a supportive city government and brand champions

2.  It takes time

3.  It is important to stay the course and follow the plan

4.  It takes time

5.  Continue to follow the plan

6.  It takes time

I’m not sure whether Mary pointed out that you have to religiously follow the plan and that it won’t happen overnight! While Angels Camp has a very distinctive logo, this hasn’t become their fixation and sidetracked them from the critical brand development issues that have to be addressed.  It’s great to see a very small community tackle its brand development in such a comprehensive and methodical manner. There are some lessons here for much larger places.

Australia Re-positions for Education Markets

While there may be strong reasons for nations and cities to create an overarching brand that will embrace tourism, investment and education, it’s not always possible to define a single brand platform that will be sufficiently potent to meet the diverse needs of their target audiences. It can be done, but one always needs to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach which is based on a series of compromises and moves the focus off customer hot buttons and onto points of commonality that are not distinctive, meaningful or compelling to those audiences. In some cases politics and turf protection can work against efforts to develop a competitive and viable brand strategy for each part of the nation or city’s marketing portfolio.

The challenge of establishing a national brand that will resonate with target audiences comprising visitors, students, investors and new residents is highlighted in an article by Stephen Matchett in The Australian.  He outlines how Austrade, the organization responsible for the marketing of Australia as an international study destination has launched a new campaign Future Unlimited. This campaign involves the repositioning of Australia for the international education markets and downplays the lifestyle and tourism strengths of the country that have been at the heart of the nation’s brand strategy. Instead the new focus will be on the quality of the educational institutions and the programs being offered.

Austrade executive Quentin Stevenson-Perks told The Australian, “People looking at investing time and money in education don’t want to come and look at kangaroos. They want a qualification recognized by governments and employers. Future Unlimited is much more than destination marketing.”

Newcastle, Australia Rebrands With Comprehensive Brand Strategy

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Simon McArthur, the Tourism and Economic Development Manager for Newcastle City Council, Australia. I wanted to gain some insights into how their work for the Brand Newcastle project is coming along.

An aspect that caught my attention was their product development focus to ensure that the city delivers on its brand promise. Central to this is attracting and reinvigorating events (many associated with the beach and sports), the opening of the Newcastle Museum, the development of innovative harbor tours, and City Evolutions which will feature digital projections on buildings and lit moving sculptures that interpret some of the key stories that formed and rebuilt the city. The next phase is likely to feature a function center overlooking the beach, a coastal spa, regional convention and exhibition center, new hotels and expansions to Newcastle Airport. Another interesting feature is the plan to rebrand several of the city's key suburbs and visitor precincts such as Hamilton and Downtown Newcastle.

“This rebranding will enable us to consistently promote a more contemporary view of the city - a genuine, ever-changing, vibrant and energetic place that is home to hardworking people and world-class industries,” Simon McArthur said.

Newcastle is attempting to shed its long established ‘Steel City’ image with a comprehensive rebranding program.  This includes a new logo and tagline (See Change) as well as increased promotions through tourism websites, brochures and signage. The city has also installed sixteen visitor information kiosks throughout the city, in lieu of operating a traditional tourist information center.

Thailand Brands Second-Tier Provinces

The Nation (Thailand) reports that Thailand has commenced a very interesting tourism development and place branding program. The Tourism Council of Thailand and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion are collaborating to promote the country’s second-tier provinces by dividing them into clusters and creating brand identities for each regional group. Their objective is to strengthen provincial tourism, which is comprised mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The plan recommends forming nine clusters, covering 52 provinces. They are Central region, west coast, east coast, Andaman in the South region, Gulf of Thailand in the South region, upper North region, lower North region, upper Northeast region, and lower Northeast region.

The challenge for them is to ensure that these destination branding strategies are not predominantly top-down. Their long term sustainability is going to be determined by how each brand is understood, supported and used as the catalysts for tourism development at a grassroots level. For too many state and federally mandated brands around the world soon run out of steam if they are not developed in a consultative and collaborative way with locals.

Atlantic City NJ Masterplan to Reinvent the Tourism District

Few destinations have attempted to reinvent themselves on the scale that is being undertaken in Atlantic City NJ. This internationally renowned for gambling, conventions and leisurely strolls on its boardwalk.  But the destination has languished for decades.

Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority recently released a 300-page masterplan that spells out redevelopment options for the city’s Tourism District - a 1,700-acre area encompassing the casinos, the boardwalk, and shopping and dining districts. State Governor Christie is giving the district five years to gain traction before reconsidering whether to expand casino gambling to the Meadowlands and other parts of New Jersey.

The plan contains short, medium, and long-term goals. Among the short-term is to introduce new attractions along the 2 ½ mile Boardwalk. The designers envision up to 10 "innovation pavilions”, sponsored by private companies, having entertainment and educational components.

The city has had five or six master plans since gambling was legalized in 1976, and most of those recommendations were never implemented. Some people are concerned that this plan may suffer a similar fate if there isn’t sufficient investment in the area’s basic infrastructure, let alone the multi-billion dollar casino and resort investments.

“If you make Atlantic City attractive, people will definitely come”, said Jack Plackter, a real estate lawyer with Fox Rothschild in Atlantic City.  “Atlantic City is only 48 blocks long. You can fix this place one block at a time," Plackter said. "The issue is can it be done quickly enough. We don't have a huge window. We don't have 20 years."

This will be a fascinating case study over the coming years.

An Irish Boost for a Visitor Information Center

At a time when destination management organizations (DMO) worldwide are evaluating the role of their visitor information centers (VIC), I was surprised to see in the Irish Examiner that a VIC in Ireland is looking to double its visitation. 

It seems that the The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre in Tullamore is to be redeveloped with the aim of doubling its annual visitor numbers to 40,000. I then discovered that it was to be developed in a once bonded warehouse for Tullamore Dew whiskey. Tullamore Dew is currently the second largest Irish whiskey brand in the world, selling more than 8.5m bottles annually.

Visitor information centers work best when they are located in precincts that directly link them to the community’s key experiences. Could it be that their strategy to double visitor numbers is linked to free samples of Tullamore Dew?

Who’s a Desirable Loiterer in Your Placemaking Plans?

An article by Emily Badger in The Atlantic Cities appealed to both my sense of humor and my eye for placemaking in downtown precincts. Badger points out, “(When) residents moved out of cities and stopped using their public spaces and streets, the only people still walking them were deemed riffraff: the homeless, jobless and, officials feared, gang members and prostitutes.” These are the loiterers who caused local authorities and urban planners to form all types of rules to protect the citizenry and the park benches.

Many cities now recognize that people lingering in downtown precincts are not necessarily loiterers, and are actually good for their economic and social well-being. I totally agree with Badger who goes on to state, “Lingering, on the other hand, is both a means to an end and a desirable end in itself. People who linger create vibrant public places and welcoming streetscapes. They also increase the safety of an area, with more eyes on the street. And leisurely foot traffic can lead to more street commerce, more connected communities, and spontaneous exchanges.”

When I lived in New York City, Bryant Park was near our office and was certainly not the place you would want to venture, even in daylight. It is now one of the best examples of a rejuvenated public space in the USA where people hangout day and night, i.e. linger. The successful cities will increasingly be those that recognize and cater to the differences between loiterers and lingerers.

“Until we change the vocabulary,” Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute says, “then we’ll (not see change). (When I see) the last loitering sign in America, I want to photograph it and say ‘this is it.’ Maybe the new signs will say ‘please linger.’”

Image - Bryant Park NYC - Baker

A Great Case Study in Worst Practice Place Branding

It’s very hard to know where to start with this one. There is a fineline where edgy and funny can become crass and plain stupid. KJCT8 TV has shone a light on Fruita, CO where a bumper sticker has evolved into being proposed as the city’s tagline. The bumper sticker reads “WTF”, meaning “Welcome To Fruita”.

"We saw them and thought it was pretty funny and thought it might be a good idea," Fruita city manager Clint Kinney told KJCT8. "And so before we ran with the idea we wanted to get feedback from the community."

Mr. Kinney might like to also get the opinions from prospective visitors, potential new residents, or executives considering relocating a business to the city. Does the acronym hint at any benefit or reward for them? What message does it convey to them? Has The City of Fruita also considered that it really doesn’t come any more generic than “welcome to”? There’s zero distinctiveness about that.

This contains so many examples of what small communities shouldn’t do when they want to establish a verbal identity to project their competitiveness. If Fruita adopts this as their tagline, the reaction to it from outsiders might well be, “WTF!” Cities need to take their competitive identity way more serious than this. It has a direct impact on the income and well-being of the comunity as well as the tax receipts of the city council. It deserves much more serious and informed consideration than to base the city's identity on a joke from a bumper sticker.

Image: Fruita.org

Santa Monica’s Place Brand Ambassadors Take to the Streets

While visiting Los Angeles over the weekend, I took a walk through Downtown Santa Monica to see the latest additions to Third Street Promenade.  I used to live nearby and over the past twenty years I’ve enjoyed observing the evolution of this lively precinct.

What caught my eye this time were several very well-uniformed, enthusiastic people who were located strategically throughout the precinct as “Downtown Ambassadors”. They were proactively greeting visitors in a very friendly way, and seemed to be well trained and genuinely enjoying what they were doing. I discovered that there are approximately forty of the ambassadors, with eight usually rostered for weekends throughout Downtown.  I was also impressed to learn that they are paid and not volunteers.  Their uniforms were sharp, well suited to the beach environment (and the Santa Monica destination brand), and clearly identified them as being there to help visitors.  There was also a small visitor information kiosk located conspicuously in the center of this pedestrian street – staffed by a live person!

At a time when many DMOs and communities are wondering about the future role of their visitor information centers, Santa Monica is solving the problem where people need assistance – in the pedestrian precinct. I have no doubt that this is contributing toward extending Santa Monica’s lengths of stay and holding and dispersing people throughout the neighborhood, as well as contributing toward increased satisfaction and return visits – all the while reinforcing the Santa Monica brand – the essence of California lifestyle. A wise investment!

I realize that other communities conduct programs like this, but this is one of the best I have seen. I also appreciate that not all places can adopt this approach because they do not have the critical mass of visitors within a precinct.  Several things impressed me, but most of all it’s the commitment, consistency, professionalism and resources dedicated to this program. So big props to Bayside District Corporation and the team at Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau.  I’d really like to hear of similar programs in other cities or towns.

Branding a Fashion District for Durban, South Africa

Durban, South Africa is well known for its Indian culture and fabulous beaches, but it will soon have a dedicated fashion district.  Durban Daily News reports on an interesting economic development branding initiative where a specific city neighborhood will be nominated, and then boutiques, material suppliers, designers and pattern makers are invited to set up shop in the area. The long term objective is to develop a sub-brand for Durban as South Africa’s Fashion Capital, and then acceptance as a world class leader in fashion.

“We want it to house the entire fashion industry supply chain,” said Jasmine Sultan, the program director of the KZN Fashion Council. “After many years of talking, it is now time for action. The next step is for the city’s urban design department to see how to design and brand the fashion district. We want to position Durban as a fashion destination, and the district will eventually be marketed as a tourist route,” Sultan added.

South Africa has had great success in fostering collaborative partnerships to establish tourism and economic development initiatives. It’s going to be interesting to see whether they can successfully pull together all of the necessary stakeholders and achieve their lofty ambitions on the world’s fashion stage. I wish them well.

Image: Flights Australia

Collaboration is Essential to Boost Competitiveness of Some Cities

The competitiveness of cities and regions is becoming an increasingly important issue as they develop strategies to rebound from the recession. Adding to their dilemma is the emergence of global competitors which changes the playing field. Now small cities must decide whether to go it alone, or collaborate with regional partners to present a more relevant value proposition. A recent article in The New Statesman, considered these realities in regard to the competitiveness of cities and regions in England.

A report by Ernst & Young observes, “Cities are engaged in intense competition for resources in the form of the talented people and capital to drive innovation. And because people are increasingly mobile they will migrate to cities that are the most aligned in what they offer in terms of brand, strategy, investment, services and culture. Achieving this depends on city leaders ensuring that the four environments that co-exist within a city - urban, business, social and cultural - are supportive to attracting and retaining innovative companies, talented people and crucial foreign direct investment.”

"Competition among cities is like a bicycle; if you don't pedal you'll fall off," says the Urban Land Institute. The competitiveness of our cities on the global stage is crucial to the UK's recovery. But should all cities be competing all of the time? And at what point should cities collaborate rather than compete?”

Over the years, I have observed many cities that should put aside their long held animosity, petty politics and myopic views of neighboring cities and adopt a more regionalized approach to their branding and economic development. But then again, that might bust up some old “clubs”!

Detroit: An Amazing Case Study in the Making

The furor over the Clint Eastwood ad for Chrysler during the Superbowl, at its core is very interesting. Here was an auto company in decline, or demolition, in possibly the country’s most maligned large city, Detroit. This is the city that no-one wanted to be associated with. Even in Oregon, the small town of Detroit wanted to change its name to disassociate itself from the auto city.

Then during last year’s Super Bowl, Eminem’s “Made in Detroit” ad for Chrysler marked the comeback of the company – and Detroit. The grisly voiceover starts the commercial asking viewers "What does a town that's been to hell and back know about the finer things in life?" It then took viewers on a short tour past historic buildings and snow, presenting a cold, hard look at what makes the city strong. And as the Los Angeles Times reported, “it was an editorial in defense of a beleaguered Detroit and, perhaps, a withering philosophy of what America is about.”

Several weeks ago, Crains Detroit Business observed “the "Imported from Detroit" ad campaign and Midtown Detroit's economic development progress exemplify the new, hopeful Detroit. While the city has pressing financial challenges, the rebranding and risk-taking success stories of the campaign and Midtown are part of a bigger Detroit story that may be reshaping national perceptions.”

We saw the next passage of the “Imported from Detroit” campaign featuring Clint Eastwood during the Super Bowl and highlighted the renaissance of Chrysler and Detroit are not disconnected from the challenges that America has been facing.   

I am quite certain that Detroit in years to come will form an amazing case study for place branders and urban planners and will show how the synergistic actions of an ailing auto company and a down-and-out city reinvented themselves – and the nation’s industrial capacity. Beyond that it will highlight how corporations and places should build together, rather than always have a short term bottom line view of what’s best for just them.

Image Credit: Walter P. Chrysler Museum

 

What About Main Street, Mr. President?

I just read that President Obama will be visiting Disney World in Florida today to announce an important tourism strategy. For me, this is good and not so good news. Firstly, I think that it is terrific that he is recognizing tourism and seems to be giving it more than just lip service. On the other hand, I just wish that he wasn’t doing it at Disney World.  Don’t get me wrong. I think that Disney World is great. I was there with my family over the Christmas break and we had a great time.

If we look at tourism using the principles of the “Occupy Movement” (in a nice way), then Disney World is definitely in the 1%.  One of the perennial problems that the tourism industry must combat is a fundamental lack of understanding of what it’s about. For the residents of so many small cities, their first thought when you mention “tourism” is of a Disney theme park and not the potential benefits to their own community.

The reality is that tourism is increasingly important to small communities across the country as an efficient generator of income and jobs.  So from my selfish perspective, I would have liked the President to have made the announcement in one of America’s fabulous Main Streets to bring attention to tourism's contribution to small communities. But I guess that wouldn’t generate the attention (or controversy) of a visit to a Disney theme park! And Main Street in the Magic Kingdom doesn't count!

Frank Gehry Weaves More Architectural Magic for City Brands

Bilbao (Spain) is a Basque port city that has a long history stretching from medieval times. But it was  Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum that enabled the city to gain international acclaim. This was the result of city leaders wanting to reposition the place as a second-tier world city - a bold objective for a city that was regarded as a rust belt city. The engagement of Gehry, a stunning new museum and $110 million later, Bilbao has enjoyed a Cinderella-like transformation.

Atlantic Cities magazine has an interesting interview with Gehry and his views on the urban impact of his architecture and how architects can play a stronger role in creating better cities. Gehry says, “The professionals that know my work consider me a contextualist because I spend a lot of time thinking about the environment that I’m working in. I try to respect the neighboring buildings, and not to overpower them or talk down to them. You might not like the building that’s next to you, but it’s there. You don’t criticize the building, but in your actions make a continuum. So I try to do that”.

Gehry's next iconic building will be the stunning Guggenheim designed for Abu Dhabi due to open in 2015. This will be after the Louve’s opening in Abu Dhabi in 2013. No doubt the Gehry magic will work for the repositioning of Abu Dhabi as well.

Is Tourism’s Huge Impact Going Unnoticed?

My colleague Peggy Bendel sent me an interesting article by Rob Gialloreto, president and CEO of Tourism Victoria, in which he makes the case for more action and investment in tourism. While he makes the case in Canada, the same could be argued in many other countries. He states, “Recent research shows the 2010 travel and tourism impact in Greater Victoria at $1.89 billion – in a weak tourism year. But reports like this, while valuable, don't tell the whole story”.

“In today's tough political climate, many different sectors in B.C. continue to put forward remarkable economic impact numbers which, if ever combined, would likely triple our provincial gross domestic product - on paper, at least” Gialloreto adds.

The positive impact of tourism on the economy during these tough economic times has also been highlighted in reports by the U.S. Travel Association.  But as Gialloreto says, “Public funding for tourism continues to plummet even though the return on investment includes things like job creation, support for small business, and stimulation of foreign spending. Tourism continues to be what it has been for years - a vital economic driver that needs support, understanding and, most importantly, action”.

Image: Chemainus B.C. Canada

Is it Really The Greatest Place to Live, Work and Play?

We rarely conduct a brand workshop or focus group for a community when someone doesn’t say, “this is the best place to live, work and play”. Further, many advocate that it should be the city tagline.  Unfortunately, for many communities that do not use objective outsiders to assist their brand planning, they too often pat themselves on the back and agree that they’ve found the holy grail of place branding for their city - and “a great place to live, work and play” it is.

I am currently researching and writing an updated edition of “Destination Branding for Small Cities” and decided to Google the term, “a great place to live, work and play” and found over 4 million results. There are also over one hundred videos on YouTube with various spokespersons for communities using the term.

Scrolling through Google, I lost count of the number of communities that actually use the term as a tagline. So if you are considering joining the masses in building a brand based on being “a great place to live, work and play”, you have simply identified a threshold credential to play the game. There are tens of thousands of places in the USA and even more around the world that can match the claim. This is where you have to dig deeper to uncover the true essence of the place that will be valued and meaningful to target audiences. And why use the line to communicate with residents? They already live there and know it!

It’s amazing how many places pat themselves on the back and settle for this self-adulation and waste their time, on a line that is probably the most commonly used by citizens to describe the place where they live. Why bother! Even worse, they call it their brand.       

Know Any Interesting Place Branding Examples?

I am currently sourcing place branding examples for an updated and revised edition of my book, Destination Branding for Small Cities, which will be published in early 2012.

I am particularly interested in identifying small cities and regions that have handled an element of their brand planning and development process in an interesting way.  For instance, in cases where a place may have conducted its stakeholder consultation, research, strategy development, positioning, outreach, experience delivery or other actions in a noteworthy manner. Alternatively, there may be places that have approached difficult challenges in their rebranding.  I am looking for both successful and unsuccessful stories which could provide interesting lessons for other places.

In recognition of the international interest in the first book, I am seeking examples
from places around the world. If you have suggestions, I’d be delighted to receive them.  If you have any questions or ideas, please send them to me at billb@  destinationbranding.com.

Are Many British Cities Copying Their Distinctiveness?

Many of Britain’s cities are aiming to be distinctive, but too many are trying to do so by copying each other. Patrick Butler asks in The Guardian, “beyond the boutiques and public art, is there any fresh thinking?”

Cities from Newcastle to Birmingham seem to have been able to develop new retail, sporting, cultural and architectural wonders through an off-the-shelf makeover, as Butler calls it. He argues that retail, leisure and consumption have been the driving force of these ambitious visions and have resulted in streetscapes and communities that are basically replicas of each other and lack distinctiveness.

Butler also points to the New Economics Foundation’s (NEF) 2004 report, Clone Town Britain, which identified that too many English towns have "lost their sense of place and the distinctive facades of their high streets under the glass, steel and concrete blandness of chain stores that have been built for the demands of ... a string of big, clone town retailers."

Butler quotes from the NEF report, “How do you reinvent, capture and maintain distinctiveness? Not simply through eye-catching new buildings. Redevelopments must be owned (in the cultural rather than legal sense) by local people, developments must be authentic and rooted in history and communal memory. The texture of a place is as important

I first came across similar observations about the USA in The Geography of Nowhere when it was published in 1994. In it, Kunstler traces America's evolution from a nation of unique Main Streets and communities to a country where every place is like no place in particular.

Maybe the end of cheap credit (for a while) and increased consciousness regarding energy consumption and the environment will lead toward a new age in architecture and communities that are more distinctive because they are a reflection of the visions of the people living there and not of corporations and developers who only see the place from a balance sheet perspective.

What Role Do City Centers Play in Local Economic Growth?

Working in small cities across the USA, we frequently find ourselves referring to downtowns and city centers as being the heart and soul of the community, and the need to constantly invest in their vitality and relevance. Here’s an interesting article in The Guardian that considers the benefits for high value businesses being located in the city centers of several mid-sized cities in England, Sunderland and Preston. Paul Swinney, the author argues that despite rapid growth in industrial estates on the outskirts of these towns, city centers have still prospered.  

Swinney advocates that changes should be made to city centers to make them more profitable places for businesses to locate. Lack of parking space is a common gripe, but public transport, road access and quality of office space are all factors that must be improved to make city centers a popular choice in many cities in England. I dare say that some of these factors are also at play in many American cities as well.