IN my career, I’ve lived through multiple efforts to reinvigorate the brands of the city and province where I live and I’ve participated in creating several of those brands.
From Canada’s Heart…Beats to Made From What’s Real, creating brands for communities and the Province of Manitoba has been a major part of my work over the last 20 plus years.
These branding campaigns were all serious and complicated undertakings that involved comprehensive market research, analysis and testing.
Yet if you read recently released data from Probe Research and The Winnipeg Free Press, it seems that residents of Winnipeg feel that the brand of the city is more about crime, homelessness and lack of opportunity.
Does this mean that all these place branding programs undertaken by governments and community have been wasted efforts? Not in my opinion.
Place branding plays an important role in attracting tourists, residents, and businesses. There are multiple factors to consider when creating any marketing campaign. When it comes to place branding, the following three qualities are must-haves: Authenticity. Uniqueness. Commitment.
Authenticity — The brand must be anchored in the true experience of its residents and visitors, not a beautified version of it. Folks often accuse advertisers of misleading in order to sell. That’s not true. The real job of advertising is to uncover the truth and make it powerful and appealing.
Uniqueness — Finding a unique approach is often difficult in place branding. For example, differentiation between regions in the Canadian Prairies appears to be challenging at first glance. Focusing on a singular and unique experience and telling that story in a unique way will make a place brand stand out and resonate.
Commitment — The ROI in place branding is realized through long-term commitment to the brand and getting the message out there. It’s not a one and done kind of thing. You either use it or lose it. Too often I’ve seen well-built brands fail because implementation and message distribution tail off after the launch. Or the message is softened and polished to take the rough edges off and therefore becomes less impactful. The importance of commitment to a sustained message and market presence can’t be overstated.
It’s a mistake to think a place brand or pump-you-up marketing campaign will cure social ills or make residents put up with shitty roads or poor health care. That’s not marketing’s job. But a place brand can pull positive, powerful and appealing stories out of the tangled morass of any region and tell stories that get attention and resonate with residents and visitors.
BY PETER GEORGE Peter George is a 30-year veteran of the advertising industry. He was CEO of McKim from 2016 to 2022 and is co-founder and CEO Emeritus of the Show and Tell Agency. He is also CEO of ED. Marketing, an ad agency specializing in higher education.
