Be a Belieber!
Show You're Wild About Your Community!
May 2012 - by Jeff Nixon
Did you catch the skit on This Hour has 22 Minutes when actor and Canadian cultural icon Gordon Pinset read with gleeful smirk and arched eyebrows excerpts from Justin Bieber's freshly-pressed memoirs? A definite clash of ages and cultures! Also a lesson in brand ambassadorship. Mock the Biebs as one may be inclined – his legions of fans remain true Beliebers!
Where am I going with this? Not long ago I gave a presentation on Place Branding at a conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland (birthplace to Mr. Pinset). It was an excellent conference at a fantastic venue. Sadly, upon the heels of my presentation, I had to catch the first flight back to Vancouver, leaving a few quick conference outings and hotel wander-rounds as the sum total of my St. John's tourist experience.
On the way to the airport I casually expressed to my cab driver my regret at not getting a proper tour of the august city. He immediately pulled over and asked, “When does your flight leave?” I had about an hour or so before check in, which left just enough time for one of the best personalized tours and history lessons for which I could have asked and received. As a Place Branding expert, hearing “I can’t let you leave until you have at least seen and experienced more of St. John’s,” nearly brought a tear to my eye.
As he drove me about, excitedly extolling points of interest, it was clear that this man adored his city and his heritage -- you couldn't ask for a better, or more expert, brand ambassador. Nor could you find a more stellar example of how authentic place branding is owned and operated by the people who live it each and every day and who work dutifully to grow and preserve it with care. They're also living proof that brand isn't artificially disseminated or decreed from the top down – it's home-grown from the ground up, on the streets, in coffee shops, and, yes, in cabs!
Logos, brochures and ad campaigns are great, but none could ever replace the heart-felt testimony of my colourful cab driver. Unfortunately, in many communities the local brand heroes that give face and shape to the brand experience often go unheralded and unappreciated. These folks love singing their home's praises and letting everyone know what makes their life styles so special. They’re like my wife’s 14 year-old sister trying to convince me to love Justin Bieber because, well, “he's just so talented.” She continuously asks me, “are you a Belieber yet?” I will keep the answer to myself, but I admit her passion is, well, infectious.
All too often the self-interested naysayers in villages, towns and cities snatch focus by making much ado about nothing. Those squeaky wheels who are constantly begging for grease and distracting from positive brand-building achievements by complaining about this and that, and generally souring the landscape and eroding hard-earned goodwill with their negative antics.
All communities have their raving fans who, like my wife's baby sister, will shout out their loyalty from the highest bell tower or the top row of a concert arena. These are the people who honour the past but are open and welcoming to change and new challenges in building communities loaded with character, beyond the safe and well-ordered, with ample and welcoming room for everyone, from old cab drivers to pop-culture-loving teenagers, too. They protect and nourish their place's good names and are always eager to roll up their sleeves and help out in small and big ways that build a true loveable and livable sense of community. All it takes is one business owner, one police officer, one town employee or one cab driver to make all the difference in the world to the wealth and prosperity of local tourism. Although I will never be a raving fan of the Bieber, I remain a firm Belieber in the branding power by the people who are wild about their special places in the world!
Jeff Nixon is a senior consultant at Synergist Communications (www.synergistcommunications.com). He is an expert in strategic place branding and takes pride in helping organizations to improve public perception, encourage investment, and create a better community through effective brand management. Follow on Twitter @Jeffrey_Nixon.