tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post560412939493279998..comments2024-03-28T16:11:30.914-04:00Comments on mackalski on marketing: Brandon- the city formerly known as the Wheat City.Robert Mackalskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17003962416839035516noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-82181788222581493962010-07-27T02:05:07.170-04:002010-07-27T02:05:07.170-04:00http://www.ebrandon.ca/messagethread.aspx?message_...http://www.ebrandon.ca/messagethread.aspx?message_id=313768&cat_id=3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-10110451598085762782010-07-20T18:02:31.613-04:002010-07-20T18:02:31.613-04:00Run for mayor Bob. These ideas are exactly what t...Run for mayor Bob. These ideas are exactly what the city needs.Brandon mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-67995786988975674162010-07-17T22:51:05.016-04:002010-07-17T22:51:05.016-04:00EloquentEloquentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-42538053524167757212010-06-09T11:41:34.133-04:002010-06-09T11:41:34.133-04:00Right on this one Bob. I live in Brandon and you ...Right on this one Bob. I live in Brandon and you nailed the problem with the city.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-55752336003271331032010-04-26T01:34:18.233-04:002010-04-26T01:34:18.233-04:00It's always great to hear from former students...It's always great to hear from former students- especially on a disagreement. <br /><br />First, to some extent, the process of branding may be done differently in a government vs a corporation (majority voting at council vs. mandate from the CEO) but the underlying drivers of the brand and the tools used to build the brand remain the same. The democratic process of voting should also be a safeguard against making bad decisions- but think how many laws are passed that are not in the public interest. Perhaps this is one of the key reasons: politics rarely attracts strong talent due to its low pay, public scrutiny of candidates etc. As a result visionary talent builds strong business brands (Herb Kelleher, Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs)- while vision coming out of a government is exceedingly rare (Teddy Roosevelt, Kennedy). In any case, Brandon (sadly) is an example of a city that screwed up its brand.Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-62313101776802447092010-04-05T23:07:54.159-04:002010-04-05T23:07:54.159-04:00Bob, what you're saying makes a lot of rationa...Bob, what you're saying makes a lot of rational sense, from a brand auditing perspective. If the mayor in Brandon had done a brand audit, he/she may have realized that the town had a strong brand equity in "wheat" and a strategy could have been planned to monetize that.<br /><br />HOWEVER, planning is only a fraction of a brand manager's job. Brand management requires vision and the ability to EXECUTE that vision, i.e. political capital (corporate or municipal). Being truly visionary often means stepping on toes and pushing forward through the naysayers, something much more easily done in an autocratic corporate political structure than a democratic municipal one.<br /><br />All this to say that brand building at a municipal level, while theoretically having similar potential to corporate branding, has very different challenges. I believe that these differing challenges mean that the opportunities from municipal branding differ significantly as well.Josh Koopferstocknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-64036362245283734552010-04-05T11:28:15.066-04:002010-04-05T11:28:15.066-04:00To the guy (or girl) up there about Greece... Gre...To the guy (or girl) up there about Greece... Greece is loaded with the "intangible associations" as Bob calls them in class- or emotions as we call them at work. Lingo either way, heading to Greece for the experience of touching history and kissing democracy's birthplace - is a big chunk of its tourism- AND SHOULD BE.another one of bob's branding discipleshttp://www.sidlee.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-40497810096699118372010-04-03T15:10:37.097-04:002010-04-03T15:10:37.097-04:00Brilliant post Bob. If more city mayors where thin...Brilliant post Bob. If more city mayors where thinking like you, then city identities would be stronger. Are you preparing your application for to take Clotaire Rapaille empty spot for Quebec City? Nice job.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14771503722935944849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-77747581107861013422010-04-03T10:54:51.813-04:002010-04-03T10:54:51.813-04:00Ohhh- so many juicy comments in there. I can't...Ohhh- so many juicy comments in there. I can't resist commenting on a couple...<br /><br />First off, I totally agree with the importance of the intangible associations. Indeed they have to be "created" and managed. The reality is that these intangibles need to spawn from the reality of the city/geography. Brandon, for example, can not credibley be "the party" city unless it hosts parties like Rio or Ibiza. And while different cities are branded as "the party city", the intangible imagery may vary wildly.(e.g. the party city Rio with its colors and sensual Latin vibe has a very different imagery than the roof-top party central Beirut). So in the case of Brandon, the Wheat City intangibles ought conjure up images very different than other "wheat cities"...<br /><br />Second, I get the diversity as an insurance against downturns. The thing about Brandon in this example is that grains are staples. Translation: People will eat wheat in good times and bad. I'm not sure how adding pork into the mix is a hedge against downturns. Add into the mix that grain farming has been around for about 10,000 years. It's among the most natural and renewable resources out there. A sustainable, downturn resistant specialization - not a bad place to be.Robert Mackalskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17003962416839035516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2085886804894737038.post-55049858642367978522010-04-03T10:20:41.321-04:002010-04-03T10:20:41.321-04:00just finished writing a paper arguing how Greece c...just finished writing a paper arguing how Greece could have reduced some of the negative media and speculation if they had a strong brand to leverage! ...just one problem though. In my paper I said the exact same thing as you: reinforce what they are good at or what they are known for (Brandon=wheat; Greece=Tourism)...but doesn't this make Brandon or Greece extremely volatile to that specific industry?...wouldn't it be better to brand Brandon or Greece as a lifestyle or something intangible ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com