People are the region’s best advert

Mar 15 2008 by Nicholas Craig, The Journal

We may not be so passionate in the near future. The Regional Image campaign which dreamt up ‘passionate places’ is unveiling the next phase of its marketing programme this month. As the focus is moving towards business and innovation those places of passion may cool.

The need to have a handy slogan to sum up a city or region is rife. Yet the end result of costly, time-consuming campaigns is too often a deflating, deficient phrase and logo, complete with a complex set of justifications.

Scotland’s new ‘destination’ slogan took six months and cost £125,000. It is ‘Welcome to Scotland’. Belfast is branding itself as ‘the new Berlin’, Nottinghamshire’s new slogan – ‘N’ – was unveiled to a somewhat subdued audience, and Durham has apparently hauled in Wally Olins, founder of the company behind the infamous Olympics 2012 logo, to rebrand Durham as the tourist trap of Britain.

I have lived through many attempts to pull together the many strands of our counties and cities to create memorable, punchy slogans and logos. The Great North was splashed across posters, tube stations, taxis, trains and letterheads for some years before its balloons shrank. Northumberland evolved from the hidden county to ‘Officially England's Most Tranquil County’, and Newcastle Gateshead changed from ‘Buzzing’ to a more sedate ‘World-class culture’.

It is not only regions, but now countries that seek to brand themselves in a catchy sound bite. Poland is branding itself, with some success, as a youthful nation and Croatia is hoping to cash in on its sparkling coastline by pitching itself as the new Riviera.

Logos, slogans and committees do not mix. Experienced, intelligent board members and councillors lose their cool logic when presented with a potential new brand. Strongly held opinions fuelled by emotion inevitably lead to a watered down compromise unless one voice dominates.

Branding can work wonderfully when it manages to capture the essence of what makes something special. Doing that requires much more than an omnipresent phrase. One NorthEast’s energetic marketing efforts have borne fruit over the last few years because of its multi-faceted, interlinking, non-stop campaign.

When the people who live in a city or region believe the message, they are the best marketers in the country. The next phase of the regional image campaign could be the best yet, with thousands of potentially powerful supporters ready to spread the word.

Nicholas Craig is a partner at Watson Burton law firm