A by-product of brands "for the people" is the committee that compromises and kills potential brand home runs. That is why you never see statues of committees in parks; you see brave leaders.
Adam Hanft, author of Dictionary of the Future, notes, "There is no question that multiple levels of government, etc. militate against a successful branding campaign. When the strategy and advertising become dumbed down so that it satisfies bureaucrats and ends up as self-serving pabulum, it's destined to die."
The way around this is for leadership to take control and say, "Listen, while some issues demand creating a consensus, this is one area where a consensus will fail." What might be helpful is to show resistors the kind of advertising that works in today's culture and how a city that wants to brand itself as cool must rise to that level.
While firm leadership is required, it also makes sense to create a small subgroup of special interests and involve them in the process. That way, their opinions can be heard, and they can feel invested in the process -- and end product.
To gain something, something else must be sacrificed. The great brands in every industry have a strong singular message. The same thing applies to destinations. If you try to brand with everything that you have, your brand will mean nothing -- unless of course your position is "A great city full of flea markets."
One more thought from Adam Hanft: "Align your city's strengths with what the market demands, and be pretty brutal about zeroing in on one communication strategy, and then stick with it."
Many well-deserving destinations are burdened by some mind-chiseled brand or event from their past. That's certainly not the easiest of roads, but these situations can be turned around.
How do you brand a city best known for its tons of nuclear waste? Or a town that smells bad? Lynn Parker, principal of Parker LePla and author of Brand Driven and Integrated Branding, explains.
"These seemingly intractable branding challenges have been fought to positive effect by Richland and Tacoma, both in Washington state. In the first case, we approached it with an 'if you can't fix it, flaunt it' method," LePla says. "In our research we discovered Richland has more PhDs per capita than almost anywhere in the world. So we played up the atomic history through a grade B alien movie campaign, 'Come to where there are signs of intelligent life,' focusing on the well-educated workforce. We sent branded spaceships to 100 companies looking to relocate out of California and ended up with 100% recall of the direct mail box. We also achieved the center column of the front page of the Wall Street Journal."
LePla continues: "In Tacoma's case, the famous 'aroma of Tacoma' was history since the paper mill left town, but only locals knew it. So we designed a campaign around the Arts District, made up of a brand-new Tacoma Art Museum and its nearby architecturally interesting Museum of Glass and the Washington State Museum of History and Industry. Adding new, brandable assets expanded our story and strengthened the city's brand."
As you can see, destination branding is vital to compete and win. Take these steps and your brand can become a valuable, revenue-producing asset to your community.
Brand on!
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