Small City Branding Around the World

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?

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.

The Unintended Consequences of Auckland’s Logo Competition

I’ve frequently said that conducting a competition to select a city or destination logo is rarely a good idea. The old adage, “be careful what you wish for because you might get it” comes to mind when I look at the situation in Auckland, New Zealand.  Last year, Auckland Super City committee conducted a competition for a new city logo. It seems that there was no research or strategy to underpin the logo as a brand, but they used the term “brand” anyway.

While Auckland City Council wants to use the logo on everything, the chief judge of the logo competition and Chairman of Waterfront Auckland Bob Harvey does not want the logo used by the waterfront authority.  Mr. Harvey had previously said that the logo was "a stunning design" that just "leapt off the page".  Now he is copping flack in the local media.

I think that while Mr. Harvey is being criticized, the reality is that he knows what branding is about and he knows that it isn’t about randomly selecting a logo in a “beauty contest”.

It’s interesting that the City Council has established a "brand navigation group" to ensure "supply efficiencies, consistency and clarity of brand communications for all Aucklanders". In other words, they have to somehow shoehorn themselves backwards into the use of this logo and try to give it meaning.

Their approach is back to front. The committee should have been in place the whole time to establish a brand strategy first and then, and only then, design a logo – and not through a competition. It might take a lot of lipstick to fix this pig.  I can suggest a good book to help them start all over again. As for Mr. Harvey I think that he got it right the second time around when it came to his organization and the logo!

2016 Olympics Logo Unveiled New Year's Eve in Rio

The logo for the 2016 Rio Olympics logo was unvealed last night, on New Year's Eve. It was revealed minutes before the fireworks on Copacabana Beach. The colorful symbol resembles three figures - orange, green and blue - holding hands in a flowing dance.

The development of the logo was itself an Olympic marathon. Approximately 140 design agencies contributed to the process, but only eight of them made it into the final group. Members of Rio's 2016 organizing committee made the final decision, selecting a design created by the Rio agency, Tatil.

The release of the Olympics logo is often met with a level of controversy. This one seems to be fairly well received. Here is the history of Olympic logos from 1924 to 2012.

Sheffield Launches a Brand Strategy Sans Logo and Tagline

Sheffield in Southern Yorkshire has officially launched its new brand strategy and identity, targeting three main audiences of trade, talent and tourism.

At the launch, there were no new logos or taglines in sight, instead a strategy based around communicating and developing the city’s manufacturing and sporting heritage. They get my rousing applause for placing the focus on the strategy and not getting fixated on the logo and tagline as is so common. Central to the strategy is a new structure for the way the city will market itself. This will be achieved by bringing the city’s tourism function (Yorkshire South Tourism) and the city’s marketing function (Creativesheffield) under one roof for a consistent city message.                                                                                        

The brand strategy was launched at the city’s entrepreneurial festival, ‘The Future MADE’.  At this event, Sheffield-born Jessica Ennis, the gold medal winning heptathlete who has become the face of the London 2012 Olympic Games was named as the city's first Brand Ambassador.

I like the words from Creativesheffield director Michael Hayman who urged Sheffield to become "noisy."

"In a downturn, are you silent or are you noisy?" he asked. "A silent city is a dead city. If you don't get out there, tell your story and do something with it, you are going to get nowhere," Hayman added.

Thousands of cities could learn from Mr. Hayman’s message and the approach adopted by Sheffield in getting the focus onto the strategy that has to underpin the brand.

This Week’s Destination Taglines and Slogans

Every week I see that a variety of city and destination slogans and taglines are announced. Some are pretty good and some are pretty lame, some clever and some are just downright infuriating. I have decided to present a few examples each week – without comment. That way, you can evaluate them yourself without my influence. I will however provide you with a checklist to assist your evaluation.  And please, let’s keep in mind that a tagline isn’t a brand. However, it should provide a window into what the brand is based on.

Tagline Evaluation Checklist:

-  It must help to set the place apart from competitors

- It cannot easily fit a competitor or nearby place

- It should not have negative connotations

- It must capture and dramatize the spirit of the positioning, brand promise or essence

- It hints at a reward, benefit or experience that customers value and can expect

- It is credible, sustainable and matches the reality of the place

- It is easy to remember and repeat

- Or is it the theme of an advertising campaign

Here are some of the new destination taglines we noticed this week:

Healdsburg: Thankfully, there’s Healdsburg

Norfolk Broads: Britain’s Magical Waterland

Oxnard: The International City 

Northport: Achieve Anything

Romania: Explore the Carpathian Garden 

Vernon: Make it yours 

Do they make the grade?