If looking for an example of how an attempt at branding a city can devolve into a meaningless exercise, look no further than the experience of Peoria, Arizona.

Peoria retained the services of a so-called “branding” firm that seemingly approaches the process of branding as the development of a tagline or a logo.

As readers of these pages know, a logo or slogan is not a brand.

As reported in The Arizona Republic, the Peoria “branding process” has devolved into this:

Peoria’s new branding slogan is catching flak from members of the public and the City Council.

Peoria has so far spent more than $100,000 in developing a logo and the catchphrase “Naturally Connected” to better market itself… Peoria’s priorities include attracting a major corporation, medical center and college.

A graphics firm was hired for $30,000 to develop the graphics standards such as colors and style for the logo’s use. Another $81,000 was paid to a consulting firm to develop the tagline and logo. “I do have a real concern with the tagline ‘Naturally Connected,’ ” said Councilman Ron Aames… “I think this is off-mark. I think this is a strikeout.”

Aames said at Tuesday’s study session that North Star Destinations Strategies “missed the point” when it created a tagline that is confusing because it can mean so many different things - that Peoria is naturally connected to Lake Pleasant, its rivers and trails, employment opportunities and amenities.

Instead, Aames said, a tagline should be immediately recognizable, such as Budweiser’s “The King of Beers,” Coca Cola’s “It’s The Real Thing” and Home Depot’s “You Can Do It, We Can help.”

Aames recommended more community input on the city’s branding.

Councilman Aames is correct that Peoria’s new tagline, Naturally Connected, is off the mark. But respectfully, he is wrong in suggesting the solution is “more community input.”

However, beyond the reactions of the many airing opinions in the Arizona Republic - the City Manager, members of the City Council, the Economic Development Director, and city residents - the cautionary tale that is now Peoria’s is an example of how often well intentioned city and place branding efforts go awry.

The Peoria experience reveals how the intelligence of an community becomes negatively focused when a consultant offers a brand solution without a tested process discipline, permitting otherwise smart people operating in a redundant fashion to take potshots at each other, without the individual responsibility for a successful outcome. It is of course, a reflection of the leadership of the organization, or upon the leadership of the consultant with presumed expertise, or both.

In the case of Peoria, evidence points to the consultant as the cause of this train wreck.

Why?

When a “branding firm” plagiarizes - unintentionally or no - work found elsewhere, such as how Peoria’s Naturally Connected is also the tagline for a community in Nova Scotia, it opens a window into how a firm works to develop solutions for its clients.

When the CEO of the same brand consultancy is credited with thinking such as this - “[H]e would be hard-pressed to find a negative to two communities having similar slogans” - while the same CEO’s website claims - “…each North Star client faces a unique challenge that requires a unique solution” - the problem comes into sharp relief.

Perhaps the dilemma is best summed up by this tongue-in-cheek press release from a marketing communications agency broadcasting their eagerness to make obscene amounts of money for mediocre creativity:

“From our perspective, there must be something in the water that’s making them overpay for all levels of mediocrity. We sense a real opportunity to make the most of this.”

For Peoria the result is a Charlie Foxtrot and, unfortunately, a waste.

[More posts about Brand Differentiation | More posts about Brand Positioning | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Peoria, Arizona Brand Reputation | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Peoria, Arizona | More blogs about City Branding]

In 2004, the Greater Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau took a swing at developing a brand for their wonderful city.

They struck out.

Wichita’s We Got The Goods lives on. But now, Wichita may have a bit of unanticipated competition. Seems at least one organization believes a country may wish to lay claim to Wichita’s “brand”:

“Finally a slogan that sums up the advantage of an emerging superpower! You can wear this shirt with false American pride or as a semi-ironic quip about America’s future as China’s retail shop!”

Whether from China, or Wichita, you may order your We Got The Goods t-shirt here. In red or lime green.

[More posts about Brand Differentiation | More posts about Brand Positioning | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Wichita Brand Image | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Wichita Advertising | More posts about Wichita | More blogs about Destination Branding]

In August 2007, William B. Hanbury, chief executive of Destination DC, Washington DC’s convention and tourism organization, announced development of a brand campaign for the city featuring a “slogan, which…will be “as powerful as Vegas. That’s the goal.”

As reported at the time:

That’s a tall order. Las Vegas’ five-year-old “What happens here, stays here” slogan is considered the gold standard in destination marketing.

Mr. Hanbury says his organization’s new brand campaign for Washington DC meets those standards.

Earlier this week, Mr. Hanbury and others introduced the Create Your Own Power Trip brand campaign “to break down perceptions of the District as impenetrable and unapproachable and cast it as a city with cultural flair.” Each Create Your Own Power Trip television spot and print ad may be previewed at this link.

Mr. Hanbury offered this in the Washington Post:

“In research, people told us that although D.C. has all kinds of powerful things like the Supreme Court, Congress, embassies and black-tie galas, they didn’t know how to access them. We’re going to focus on helping people personalize the power that is Washington.”

Destination DC’s CEO is hopeful the new campaign is designed to create a foundation for years of future advertising:

“This has legs. What we’ve done here with the re-branding effort isn’t a one-trick pony. This is an effort that will allow us to sustain and grow the brand over a long period of time.”

Which prompts the following questions:

Does the new Washington DC “brand” have legs?

Or is it a one-trick pony?

Will Create Your Own Power Trip become as successful as What Happens Here, Stays Here for Las Vegas?

Is it effective branding, or public relations?

Is it branding, or a campaign?

Here’s one opinion.

Tell us yours.

.
You can find more of the backstory to Destination DC’s Create Your Own Power Trip campaign here.

[More posts about Washington DC Tourism | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Branding Washington DC | More posts about Washington DC Brand Image | More posts about Brand Research | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Branding vs Advertising | More posts about Branding vs PR | More posts about Tourism Branding | More blogs about Destination Branding]

This column now appears at this link.

According to a published report, an American city — Raleigh, North Carolina — will rely upon opinion research to develop a brand campaign.

This “branding” effort is doomed before it begins.

Raleigh’s leaders have been sold a “branding process” that will lead to a less than satisfactory outcome.

Due to a flawed reliance in the process upon opinion research, Raleigh will be unable to successfully define Why Raleigh exists, so that the city becomes the only logical choice for What they offer.

Rather than survey opinions or focus group studies that encourage a group-think, Raleigh should instead explore the attitudes and actual behaviors of those it seeks to influence.

The Raleigh story:

“The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a new Web site that gives residents the ability to sound off on the city as part of a new branding campaign.

ShareYourRaleigh.com asks visitors to take a survey about the area…

The site is part of CVB’s branding campaign, which it’s conducting with research company Longwoods International and branding agency Cundari, both based out of Toronto. The firms…ran a similar Web project for Washington, D.C., earlier this year…

Data from the site, as well as information culled from various focus groups, will be put together…after which Cundari and Longwoods will offer a series of suggestions for Raleigh’s brand.

A CVB task force will select one of the options…”

The Raleigh branding process is described here:

“Objective
The objective of this project is to build a distinctive and long-lasting brand foundation to consistently guide marketing and promotional efforts for Greater Raleigh. …[W]e expect to drive awareness, interest and investment in the county from this country and around the world.

Process
• An online survey is being conducted with 300 consumers in our regional advertising market…
• We are conducting interviews with approximately 10 key Greater Raleigh stakeholders representing government, hospitality, business, cultural and media entities.
• We are conducting approximately seven focus groups/workshops with arts, hospitality and community residents and leaders.
• We developed this website in order to engage our local residents in the process on a wider scale through an online survey.”

The new “brand” will be introduced in June of 2008.

For destination brands everywhere, never before has so much attention been focused on the importance of understanding audiences a city or nation seeks to attract. The quest for truly distinctive brand innovation raises the same nagging question: What do these audiences really want?

Organizational leaders know the answer to this question is their Holy Grail. But with regularity, these same leaders suffer an uncomfortable disconnect between market research and actual market performance. It comes down to one troubling behavior — People tend to say one thing during research and then do something entirely different in real life.

This disconnect is largely due to the reliance on traditional opinion research tools such as focus groups, online surveys and telephone interviews. These methods have always had a particular drawback. They do not effectively address contradictions in people’s responses.

These contradictions—when they reveal a clear separation, a gap, between opinion and action—are the most interesting data. They point to paradoxes that are fundamental to each individual’s reality—a consequence of how every human being lives partly in a world of conscious rational thought, and partly in a world of subconscious emotional response to the experience of life.

Without a clear identification of these contradictions, and understanding how they lead to a purchase decision, everything that follows in an attempt to attract desired audiences for a city or place—whether through advertising, public relations, new media, trade shows or design—is largely a waste.

Moving away from opinion research and permitting the examination of contradictions surfaced by reliable research methodologies is necessary to transform a city into a unique and unforgettable place.

These contradictions work to surface good old-fashioned meaning, story, history, cultural poetry, imagery, and shared knowledge when considering the brand narrative for a city, state or nation.

A deep understanding of these contradictions, these response gaps, leads to the decisive moment when we see the most transformative of events—the birth of a brand.

In four months will the world see the birth of a new, authentic and engaging brand for the City of Raleigh?

Unfortunately, no.

One need only look to the experience of the City of Baltimore to see where the Raleigh effort will end.

Much like Baltimore, and cities such as San Diego and Atlanta, Raleigh will miss a golden opportunity to competitively separate themselves from ANY other city.

Tune in this June to watch.

[More posts about Raleigh Tourism | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Branding Raleigh | More posts about Raleigh Brand Image | More posts about Brand Research | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Tourism Branding | More blogs about Destination Branding]

In the latest example of brand hyperbole, a Dubai company announces the “world’s first fashion island.”

Only one problem. There already is a Fashion Island.

Dubai’s version will include:

[A] fashion resort, themed residential villas, haute couture boutiques and luxury hospitality facilities in a drive to establish Dubai as a global fashion hub. World renowned fashion designers from each continent will be instrumental in designing each element of the development.

Read more at this link.

[More posts about Brand Hyperbole | More posts about Real Estate Branding | More posts about Branding | More posts about Brand Strategy | More blogs about Dubai]

The story behind effort of the Republic of Malta to find their brand continues to devolve, offering a cautionary tale to nation branders everywhere.

The story began over two years ago, with updates since.

In the latest twist, the MaltaStar.com reports:

[T]he man in charge of Malta’s Media Consulta account leading the team which had the task of creating audio-visual material to brand Malta as a tourist destination was removed from the Malta project after the Malta Tourism Authority told the PR and Media company it could not work with him.

At issue is more than a simple personality clash, again according to MaltaStar.com:

[O]nce the Berlin-based media and PR company started presenting their audio-visual material, the Tourism Authority started having second thoughts about whether MC would be worth the money. In fact, MC presented three different sets of visuals before MTA accepted what it considers as average visuals, these are already being used to sell Malta in the United Kingdom.

Media Consulta, the agency hired on behalf of the Malta Tourism Authority, describes itself as a “leading independent PR and advertising agency in Europe.”

Finding the brand of a country has nothing to do with public relations or advertising. Which begs the question, why would Malta hire a PR and advertising agency for such a mission-critical task?

While not privy to the details of the Malta project or the Media Consulta hiring decision, anyone may use the Media Consulta site search function and see that a search of the firm’s core competencies, skill sets, or focus uncovers no mention of brand strategy, brand narrative, brand expression or, more simply, brand.

Malta is not alone in experiencing such difficulty. In the United States, for example, the former Olympics host city of Atlanta painfully has yet to find its brand.

Finding the brand of a country or place is always infinitely harder than people imagine. Too often those in charge of branding exercises think of the outcome only in relation to sales—more tourists, more hotel bookings, more conventions, more tourism/conventioneer spending—when the focus should equally be placed upon how is value best created for the owners. The owners of a nation brand such as Malta are, of course, its citizens.

PR and advertising agencies are ill-equipped for such important work, as their world view is is to chase the audiences Malta seeks to engage, rather than attract them, a principle illustrated at this link.

By looking for advertising and PR solutions, Malta’s decision makers demonstrate their inability to understand this law of branding:

Good branding works even when the brand is not advertising or conducting a PR campaign.

Perhaps next time, Malta’s leaders will look for effective assistance from a consultancy that knows what they are doing.

[More posts about Malta Tourism | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about Nation Branding | More posts about Branding Malta | More posts about Malta Brand Image | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Tourism Branding | More blogs about Destination Branding]

Cities from Washington to Wichita, nations from Malta to Mexico, each compete to attract tourism dollars and business investment.

Too often the leadership of city, state, or national tourism, convention and economic development offices rely upon “The List” in communicating the story of their place.

The result is predictable. The very audiences mayors and governors seek to attract will tune out, as they have heard it all before.

What is The List?

The List is a formulaic approach to developing the narrative of a destination brand as expressed in words and imagery. Similar to a shopping list, The List is a checkoff approach to branding. But it is not branding.

By use of the “formula” offered by The List, government leaders preclude for their brands the benefits of effective brand strategy, including the opportunity to become unforgettable.

This List is a recital of common “attractions” promoted by a city, province or nation, including claims such as:

1. a young, lively city with a
2. vibrant nightlife, a
3. glimpse of an ancient civilisation, a
4. cultural feast, a
5. musical odyssey,
6. stunning scenery, a
7. spectacular coastline,
8. museums,
9. shopping,
10. dining,
11. hospitality,
12. lifestyle benefits, also described as
13. quality of life,
14. relaxation,
15. energy, vibrancy,
16. theatre,
17. sporting events,
18. festivals,
19. outdoor attractions,
20. golf,
21. our people,
22. and more!, and
23. __________ (add any common attribute, such as “great hotels!”).

Similar to overused claims such as innovative or high quality for technology products, basing the narrative of a destination brand upon messages of dining, shopping, museums and friendly people paints a place as banal. The reason is easy to see when stepping into the shoes of a tourist or business developer.

Tourists and developers assume dining, shopping, museums and friendly people are available at any place. When confronted with these messages, similar to the narrative of any number of competing destinations, it becomes part of the white noise of contemporary culture, and thus unworthy of the investment of time to listen further.

But yet, government decision makers return to The List time and again.

It is an addiction.

An addiction offering a short term high through lavish self praise, which for a government leader is easy to explain to a constituency as the message is so darn POSITIVE. But the citizenry is already convinced—they previously decided to “pay” by living or working there—while the tourist or business developer has not.

Instead, the tourist or developer has to pay, literally, when they pay attention—they pay with their time and mental effort, neither of which they are likely to invest when a city or nation shouts in self-flattery.

The List does not speak to the soul of a place, or to the soul of the tourist or investor. It speaks functionally rather than emotionally, and does not differentiate one place from another, nor answer the seminal question of any destination brand; Why do we matter?

Instead of touting dining or shopping, or other claims from The List, a destination must offer the attraction one cannot find closer to home, often an emotional truth a place may uniquely define and own. Identifying that unique something, offering the breakthrough needed in search of the brand of a place, is always infinitely harder than people imagine.

But, as any addict will tell you, seeking help for the compulsion is the first step to recovery.

[More posts about Brand Differentiation | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Government Strategy | More posts about Nation Branding | More posts about State Branding | More posts about Tourism Branding | More blogs about Destination Branding]

To understand why the vast majority of cities fail to find their brands, understand the experience of Atlanta.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on the latest attempt to find the brand:

Bye-bye “Everyday is an opening day.” Hello “City Lights, Southern Nights.”

Brand Atlanta, the group formed two years ago to help the city define its image, is switching from the use of slogans to sell the city to the use of themes aimed at specific demographics, Executive Director Melinda Ennis-Roughton said Thursday.

For instance, when the campaign rolls out its newest ads aimed at professionals ages 25-44 this January, the organization will use “City Lights, Southern Nights” — one of 16 tested themes — to emphasize Atlanta’s reputation as a youthful and energetic city, with great restaurants, shopping and nightlife, said Ennis-Roughton.

Whether characterized as theme or slogan — for Atlanta a distinction without a difference — neither City Lights, Southern Nights nor its predecessor, Every day is an opening day, offer the raison d’etre in support of a unique place.

In combining the names of an iconic bookstore and porn video shop to create a “theme,” Atlanta brings into sharp relief the myopia ailing far too many city tourism decision makers.

Atlanta’s myopia is revealed in the multiple messages offered by a phrase such as City Lights, Southern Nights, for example: (1) we have electricity, (2) night occurs here, (3) ignore us during daylight, (4) our insecurity prompts a reminder that we are a town of significance, (5) don’t bring the kids, and (6) rather than project confidence in our status as a world city, think of us as within a comparatively small geographic region.

City Lights, Southern Nights offers nothing uniquely ownable, when ownable is the point in building an effective destination brand. Instead Atlanta’s “theme” equally applies to any number of tourism destinations, such as Charleston (another city in the American South with electricity), or Rio de Janeiro (cities in the Southern Hemisphere also have electricity).

Brand Atlanta’s Executive Director further illustrates the lack of good critical thinking in support of Atlanta’s brand with this gem:

It’s New York with Southern manners and charm,” she said.

Reminds us of another city that devalued it’s brand by ridiculously positioning itself in relation to New York City, blowing any hope the expression of this city brand would be accepted as authentic. When their brand was introduced, the Mayor of Wichita, Kansas said the campaign would position Wichita as the “NYC of Kansas — without the high prices.”

Instead, Atlanta would have benefitted by refocusing their efforts based on these insights.

There is more to the story of the Brand Atlanta trainwreck, again as offered by the organization’s ED:

She said Brand Atlanta will reach its audience through the Internet, cable and magazines. For instance, to get the 25- to 44-year-old traveler, the plan is to advertise on Web sites such as Orbitz.com, Wikipedia.com and travel magazines, instead of using billboards and network television.

The difficulty with such a strategy? Wikipedia.com does not accept advertising.

[More posts about Brand Differentiation | More posts about Brand Positioning | More posts about Brand Promise | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about Location Branding | More posts about Atlanta Brand Image | More posts about Atlanta Tourism | More posts about Brand Opportunity | More blogs about Destination Branding]

A press release appearing in the online Daily News announces the government has approved the Brand Botswana strategy and plan, to be launched later this month:

The national branding strategy is seen as one of the key tools for the economic development of the country as well as to create a coordinated approach to the promotion of investments, tourism and trade.

A government spokeswoman indicates:

[A] national brand could demonstrate how the country provides high quality products and services, is an attractive tourist destination, a place with investment potential as well as a rewarding place to live and work.

This project was discussed when it began some 18 months ago, for example here and here.

We await the results of the Botswana branding project, and will report on the rollout when the new Botswana brand is made public.

Stay tuned.

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Welcome to the Whisper Destination Brands Film Festival.

A destination is a place to which one is going or is directed. The leaders of destinations, whether tourism agencies, and convention and visitor bureaus, economic development or other government agencies often engage in marketing efforts in hopes of attracting tourists and business developers to their particular place.

We examine those efforts here.

The idea of the Festival is to help destinations — cities, provinces, emirates, states, nations, places — understand what works and what does not in efforts to create an engaging and unforgettable brand of a place.

This month we showcase the provincial government’s brand efforts for Newfoundland and Labrador.

The provincial government’s Premier introduced the new campaign with these comments:

“When people see this brand, we want them to instantly see Newfoundland and Labrador, and to associate that with our best qualities. We want them to think about a people and place that is resourceful, innovative and energized.”

A launch video was also part of the introduction:

Since then, the following video spots have been produced by Newfoundland Labrador Tourism. Later this month we will offer our analysis of this showcased campaign. Until then, take a look and share your opinions of why the Newfoundland and Labrador brand strategy works to attract tourism, or why it does not.

In no particular order, the first spot:

The second:

Third:

Fourth:

Fifth:

Whisper is an international brand consultancy based in the United States, Europe and Asia. Contact us to learn more of how to own the conversation® among tourism and business development audiences you seek to attract and influence.

[More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Newfoundland Labrador Brand Image | More posts about The Whisper Destination Brands Film Festival | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Nation Branding | More posts about State Branding | More posts about Province Branding | More posts about Locale Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about Location Branding | More posts about Territory Branding | More posts about Country Branding | More posts about Tourism Branding | More posts about Business Investment Branding | More posts about Economic Development Branding | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Brand Narrative | More posts about Own The Conversation® Strategy | More blogs about Destination Branding]

The Czech Republic brand opportunity was previously discussed here.

So when tipped to a column addressing the same topic we read it with interest. The author makes this point about destination brand efforts and why they so often fail:

Sadly, last year’s attempt at designing a logo and strapline based on speech bubbles to reflect the many facets of Czech life, is typical of many misplaced place branding efforts - trying to satisfy all stakeholders but failing to capture and dominate a single market segment.

We agree. If a brand attempts to satisfy everyone, it stands for nothing.

The same column further suggests a unique characteristic of Czech life that could be mined to competitively separate the Czech Republic from other nation brands:

The other area of promise can also be found throughout the country, but it is in the capital city - Prague - where the cultural contradiction is most visible… Prague’s skyline - dominated by some 200 Church spires - yet at ground level, over half its population claim to be Atheists.

As reprinted in The Age, in 2003 the Los Angeles Times looked at the state of religion in the Czech Republic, finding:

Recalcitrant and suspicious, Czechs are not entirely godless. They just don’t care for organised religion…

There’s a hostility toward what religion did to them in the past… The Czechs say they’re the most atheist country in Europe, and they say it with some pride. This is how Western civilization may look in 50 years, because people here believe they live a full life without any religion.

If a country were looking to change the conversation about itself to that of an unforgettable place, few would engender more emotion than to stand as the place of no religion. Such a brand position would tap into a ready made global market of approximately 15% of the world’s population, or some one billion people of secular/nonreligious belief.

As with any effective brand position, you must give up something to gain market share. Its part of an own the conversation® strategy. By acknowledging, for example, that John 3:16 believers are not a target market, a brand promise based on a core idea such as “where spirituality lives without religion,” would offer competitive separation and a unique entry point for engagement of a sizable slice of the global tourism market.

Such a promise is a provocation. To qualify as a provocation, a brand promise must contain what most would refer to as negative messages for the goods and services the brand represents.

Fortunately, consumers process these negative messages positively. As long as the message authentically maps to one of the positioning points of your brand, consumers rarely take the meaning literally, and the negative aspects of the message give it greater depth, creating a greater opportunity for audience attraction, engagement and ultimately conversion.

For the Czech Republic, such a promise would change the conversation to a basis the Czech Republic could easily claim, own and extend on a global basis. For example, use of such a brand strategy could ensure massive free media coverage, if managed properly on an evergreen basis. And, it would further elevate tourism as an economic driver in the Czech Republic.

While not a strategy the evangelical or fundamentalist believer would embrace, for those charged with the success of Czech Republic tourism, such a brand demonstration would be the answer to a prayer.

[More posts about Brand Differentiation | More posts about Brand Positioning | More posts about Brand Promise | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about Nation Branding | More posts about Czech Republic Brand Image | More posts about Prague | More posts about Czech Republic Tourism | More posts about Czech Republic | More posts about Brand Opportunity | More posts about Emotional Branding | More posts about Own The Conversation® Strategy | More blogs about Destination Branding]

Dubl!n suffers an infection of exclamation points!

As previously chronicled here, an infection of exclamation points is an indication of cheerleading disease, a condition suffered by many among tourism and convention and visitor bureaus, and government agencies, involved in tourism and destination brand decisions. The disease manifests itself through symptoms we refer to as The List.

What is The List? The List is the often repeated litany of “attractions” commonly promoted by most any city or province attempting to lure tourist traffic, such as these offered by Dubl!n Tourism:

“Now you can get a taste of Dublin before you even arrive! Our Dublin DVD showcases a range of the sights to be enjoyed in and around the city of Dublin. If you’re looking for a [1] young, lively city with a [2] vibrant nightlife, a [3] glimpse of an ancient civilisation, a [4] cultural feast, a [5] musical odyssey, [6] stunning scenery, and a [7] spectacular coastline - you’ve come to the right place! Dublin has all of this… [8] and more! Take a look for yourself!”

Dublin Tourism sets The List to music in this promotional DVD:

Rather than an effective tool for tourism purposes, the Dublin DVD is a music video backed by what many would argue is Dublin’s best export of the past two decades, the Irish rock band U2. The video is similar to others of the genre, such as those for the Isle of Man, the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the Canadian province of Manitoba.

As put to use by any number of cities and other destinations, The List also includes other commonly promoted features such as [9] museums, [10] shopping, [11] dining, [12] hospitality, [13] personal fulfillment, [14] theatre, [15] sporting events, [16] festivals, and often [17] outdoor attractions.

Cities, states, nations each make a mistake by a primary reliance upon The List to brand themselves. Why is this strategy a mistake? The List does not point to the uniqueness of a place. Dining, shopping, museums and other similar features are available at any number of other tourism destinations. Instead, to attract the tourism dollars coveted by many, the lure is the attraction one cannot find closer to home, often an emotional truth a city, state or nation may uniquely define and own.

Rather than being all things to all people, tourism brand decision makers must step outside the conference room and into the shoes of the tourist they seek to influence and attract. They must develop a unique and authentic answer to the question, Why do we matter?

Only then may those exposed to The List begin to succeed in eradicating cheerleading disease among destination brands everywhere.

Won’t you help?

[More posts about Brand Differentiation | More posts about Destination Branding | More posts about Place Branding | More posts about City Branding | More posts about Brand Strategy | More posts about Government Strategy | More posts about Dublin Tourism | More posts about Dublin Brand Image | More posts about Tourism Branding | More blogs about Destination Branding]

A research report takes an in-depth look at a recent effort to brand the State of Kansas, as well as efforts on behalf of states from Alaska to Utah. The report, issued by Kansas Inc, offers a good synopsis of many recent U.S.-based destination / place branding efforts. Among a variety of topics, the report addresses the difference between branding and advertising.

What is otherwise a good 44 page compilation and analysis goes awry with this conclusion:

Kansas has tremendous opportunities in regards to economic development. The image of Kansas plays an important role in these opportunities, and we must do what we can to make our image as appealing as possible to both ourselves and others. While traditional stereotypes and clichés may never change, we must find a way to embrace who and what we are, and use that to our advantage. We must realize that we can change certain parts of our image, and certain parts we cannot – we are what we are. If we can project who and what we are, we can make our image work to our advantage. We must focus on our strengths and downplay any potential negatives. Kansas is both similar and different from other states and regions, and we can use our differences as an asset. [Emphasis ours.]

To become unforgettable—a brand ingrained in popular culture—any state, city, nation brand must own the conversation within its competitive context. To do this first requires taking ownership of the conversation about itself. Those behind the Kansas Inc. report make an all too common mistake, suggesting Kansas should essentially ignore it’s real and imagined deficiencies in sharing the story of the state. It is a mistake they make at their peril.

Readers of these pages know we have offered commentary on the Kansas brand effort more than once. The current Kansas message, As Big As You Think, is a cheerleading claim, one that quickly fades from memory unless supported by a Fortune 500 ad spend. Unfortunately, few states, cities, even nations, offer the advertising budgets of a Fortune 500. Which is why a cost effective brand strategy, rather than an expensive advertising strategy, is so important to place brands everywhere.

Unless people are given a compelling reason to shuffle the brand deck, they’ll stand with what they know rather than look again. Without a brand message to shuffle the deck, people feel they have all the information about Kansas they need and thus tune out.

Kansas cannot control how their state brand is perceived unless they begin to control how the state is presented. Changing the message about the state to one never heard before, one that snaps existing stereotypes yet remains authentic, is the only way to change the conversation about the state. Any great brand acknowledges the negatives about itself, for in so doing audiences gain trust and will stop to listen to what you have to say. For example, What Happens Here, Stays Here as the Las Vegas message offers both a negative and positive connotation, mapping authentically into the stereotypes of the city as a tourist destination.

Kansas is no Las Vegas. Nor should it be. But it can offer the world a stereotype snapping message reframing how it is presented, and ultimately how it is perceived. It is hard work, and too few place brands succeed in creating such a message, as they often settle for that which is safe, and of appeal to leaders sitting at the table as brand message decisions are made, rather than appealing to the tourists or business investors who must be convinced.

As the Kansas Inc. report also concludes, “we must find a way to embrace who and what we are, and use that to our advantage.” Indeed.

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It has been nearly a month since the London 2012 Olympic Games Organizing Committee was hit with an avalanche of negative public opinion. On June 4 the Committee announced the new London 2012 logo, a new visual identity seemingly no one liked except the “branding” firm responsible for creating it.

Reaction to the new logo was swift, such as this BBC News report:

BBC blog posters saw the 2012 logo as an attempt to connect with young people in a “dad at the disco” kind of way:

“It’s boring and looks like it took a second for a 3 year old to do,” one wrote. “It certainly doesn’t appeal to children, I mean I’m 16 and dislike it, my brother is 10 and thinks it’s plain.”

[Another offered] “…It looks like a logo designed for young people by old people who don’t understand young people.”

One respected strategist compared the new logo to “ugly shards.”

Curiously, the firm behind the logo went into hiding. Emerging later from nearly two weeks of silence, the firm’s stance was reported in the Sunday Telegraph:

Brian Boylan, 61, the chairman of Wolff Olins, the…consultancy responsible for the £400,000 logo, insisted: “Let’s be clear: we won’t change the design at all. We are proud of it. It will go down in history. We have created something original in a world where it is increasingly difficult to make something different.”

[Patrick] Cox, 41, who led the design team that created the logo, said: “It wasn’t created to be warm and fuzzy.

“Its design is intentionally raw, which means it doesn’t immediately sit there and ask to be liked very much. It was meant to be something that did provoke a response, like the little thorn in the chair that gets you to breathe in, sit up and take notice.”

Thorny indeed.

How did the process of creating this logo lead to an overwhelmingly negative public firestorm? We begin by looking at the firm itself. As the logo creators describe themselves:

Wolff Olins started in the mid 60s as a design company. We focused on looks. But looks that worked, because they were always founded on an idea… By the mid 90s…[t]he brand idea became central to our philosophy. The brand idea is the core purpose which drives an organisation. It involves both the value of its position and the way it’s expressed – what it looks like and how it communicates itself.

Fine and good, but the Wolff Olins philosophy prompts this question: What is the brand idea the 2012 logo is founded upon? As any good brand consultancy knows, a great identity should grow out of a brand promise pointing to a unique competitive difference, one creating a “must have” response. This unique difference should work to shift the market conversation to the advantage of the brand.

We looked for the answer. One capable of understanding within seconds.

The Organizing Committee offers an eyes glazed over 454 word explanation here. No help.

A variety of press reports offered this explanation:

The design brief was for an emblem that represented the four key ‘brand pillars’ of access, participation, stimulation and inspiration, culminating in the brand vision of ‘Everyone’s Games’.

“London 2012 will be Everyone’s Games, everyone’s 2012. This is the vision at the very heart of our brand…”

And this from the press release:

London 2012 will be a Games for a connected world making the most of exciting new technology to get people closer to the action they want to see, when, where and how they want to experience it.

The new emblem is dynamic, modern and flexible reflecting a brand savvy world where people, especially young people, no longer relate to static logos but respond to a dynamic brand that works with new technology and across traditional and new media networks.

Nowhere do these explanations point to a demonstration of the one unique difference separating London 2012 from any other Olympics host city, or any other major sports event. Change out the name and the “brand idea” offered up by London 2012 could as easily apply to Beijing as to London, or the World Cup as to the Olympic Games.

Or, the London 2012 brand idea could just as easily support a youth oriented mobile service. And, as we found, it does.

The Wolff Olins claim to “have created something original in a world where it is increasingly difficult to make something different” rings hollow when their work is viewed within the context of other designs developed/directed by the firm. We located this press release describing another Wolff Olins design attempt to reach out to the youth market, describing a “brand idea” eerily similar to that of London 2012, and a likewise similar logo:

“djuice is now the world’s second largest mobile offering for young people…

At the same time, djuice has…introduc[ed]…a new logo. The design profile has been developed in cooperation with Wolff Olins…

“Our new image is playful, colourful and flexible, and the diversity reflects the many different aspects of djuice and the diversity of our customers’ interests…This is how we envisage djuice, as the centre, from where good things emerge, the only place young people need to visit to get the latest and best…experience.”

The reality is precious few location brands create human engagement by effectively tapping into their brand context with a compelling promise. Often such brands tend to veer off track and “settle” for brand stories and messages that are acceptable to those on the inside making decisions, but are wholly inadequate to engage those the brand seeks to reach and convert. These often self-congratulatory messages become irrelevant as soon as they are uttered. Perhaps part of the reason for this is the nature of governmental and quasi-governmental units involved in a branding project to want to seek a near unanimity among various stakeholders as decisions are made. However, this form of consensus if not worked through properly is the enemy of the breakthrough and can result in the banal. It puts a premium on the decision of whom is trusted with the process of uncovering the engaging and unforgettable story of your place and, in this case, your sports event.

Wolff Olins did not create a banal 2012 logo, nor did they create a breakthrough. Rather they created a logo begging for an explanation, and not a brand.

What London 2012 needs instead is a visual demonstration supporting the unique promise of these Olympic Games, one creating excitement rather than acting as a barrier to public enthusiasm. How do they get there?

To create a breakthrough brand, to offer a compelling story engaging the audiences London 2012 seeks, the brand must offer a difference, a unique “something unheard of elsewhere.” True, there is far more to the story of London 2012 than one unique difference. However, to create the opportunity to tell the broader story of the Games, to own the conversation, London 2012 must first stand for a single uniqueness, a door opener, prompting an audience to care long enough to stop, and to stop long enough to be influenced.

What is it about London 2012 that separates the experience from all other alternatives?

How will this experience fulfill a passion not satisfied elsewhere?

Why should anyone care?

If an audience can answer these questions for themselves within seconds, then we see a brand that matters. One that appreciates in value and creates economic opportunity. One capable of being remembered above all others.

For the decision-makers responsible for creating such a brand that’s when the fun begins; when they receive credit for being oh-so-smart.

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