Gaborone City Branding

Most brands city branding develop organically but it is possible to design a city brand, however it has to be based on something that is truthful.

I was tasked to write a piece on city branding, a topic I have interest in but where does one begin? Usually one would start with defining terms when writing about a peculiar topic but I prefer to ask questions first. What are the 3 most famous cities in the world?  If you don’t live in a cave your answer should be New York, Paris & London. The forth is Mmathubudukwane but that’s a topic for another day. So from that 3 let us focus on the first 2, New York City & Paris. Without thinking, what are their popular nicknames? Again if u don’t live in a cage your answer should be “The city that never sleeps” for NYC &“The city of love “for Paris. Before we continue understand that these nicknames only resonate with people living outside those cities. For example New Yorkers don’t call it the city that never sleeps, they will most likely call it the Big Apple and Parisians call their city the “City of lights, la ville lumière

““The local nicknames always have historical context attached to them. So for any place there is a local truth/perception and outside perception but for the sake of this article we will focus on external perception because that’s what branding really is, well most of the time that is.”

So now that we have outlined the brand placement for both cities the question is why does a city’s brand identity matter? There are various reasons but economically external opinions about a place bring in substantial revenue. The revenue comes from investors & tourism. For example if a 24 hour sushi company from japan want to expand in North America which city is more likely to be their target? You guessed it “A city that never sleeps” Businesses do not close, people are always out & about. Paris benefits from newlyweds coming from all over the world all year every year. If you are in the hospitality industry in Paris getting investors won’t be as difficult, this is the power of positive brand identity.

So now that we have established that a city’s brand identity can bring in millions annually the question is can an ordinary city revamp their identity? Yes it can. First the branding has to be based on something that is already there, a fact. New York is truly the city that never sleeps even the local bylaws are lenient on 24 hours activities. Paris is truly the city of love because the French are hopeless romantics. This is evident in French literature, music, poetry, cuisine & architecture. Nothing beats drinking wine with your loved one in a Baroque style restaurant, lamer by Charles Trenet playing in the background. Everything works in harmony.

Most brands city branding develop organically but it is possible to design a city brand, however it has to be based on something that is truthful. First you list the unique truths about a place, then you select one that stands out more & will likely be more beneficial economically. You can also brand a place for social reasons but that’s also a topic for another day. The biggest challenge after identifying a city’s unique but truthful story is expressing it. Which mediums will you use? How about the stake holders? The mayor, municipality, corporations, relevant government ministries & local residents. All these entities have to work in unison to in creating a unique and sustainable identity for the city.

The next questions are what do we do with the nation’s capital? What is Gaborone’s DNA? How can we increase tourism and entice investors?  Thankfully the good folks at Blue Hornet are on a mission to brand Gaborone to be one of the most influential places on the continent. City branding is not an easy task but it can be done, & it has been done by various cities around the world.Porto, Melbourne, Amsterdam, and Helsinki are perfect examples.