What’s in a name? If I was called John, I’d still be me, wouldn’t I? If Birmingham was called Manchester, we’d still be ridiculed and stereotyped and passed over for every accolade going. Wouldn’t we?
It was a suspicious looking grey haired gentleman in a button down, pink stripy shirt that got me thinking about this.
I was travelling back by train from London again trying to mind my own business, when something twinkled in my periphery vision. A grey haired chap sat down in front of me and pulled out a document with two words in heavy typeset emblazoned on the front: BRAND BIRMINGHAM.
Well there’s a concept, I thought to my self and as I peered through the gap between the headrests I realised that what I was unashamedly now reading was a speech to be delivered that evening. The audience? An eminent group of Birmingham’s top business leaders by invitation of our Bishop, David Urqhart.
My attention was well and truly grabbed. I didn’t read on too much further though, as a shame induced neck cramp got the better of me, but my mind had already begun to wonder.
We all know the power of a brand. It is why big business has multi billion pound budgets just to create and disseminate them. But to create a brand you need to know who you are.
So, who are we?
Are we Edgbaston Cricket Ground? Are we the Balti triangle? Are we the masters of retail therapy? No, no and no.
People don’t equate Edgbaston with Birmingham; the Balti triangle is just one food on our huge culinary menu and we will always be second best to London’s shops.
As we were pulling into Birmingham, I struck up conversation with that chap in front of me who, it turned out, was the Director General of the ‘Institute of Advertising’. As we walked on he said that we had all the ingredients to make a great City brand, but that’s all they are right now – ingredients. To make the brand, we need to choose what defines us and what we want to tell the world about us.
I don’t have the answers but if we just decide to continue muddling along, we will let shootings, terror arrests and riots do the job for us and money will leave this City, followed quickly by its people.
Perhaps as Blair attempts to carve out his new place in the world we could offer him the job of ‘branding Birmingham’. Maybe he could re-brand our own Council leader Mike Whitby into the ‘Peoples Council leader’. Stranger things have happened.
Published Birmingham MAIL TMG May 2007
Con etiqueta:
branding culture birmingham
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