The DNA of city branding

Tourism

Charles Mavhunga

CITY branding is a modern form of tourism that is ingrained in a series of long-term, medium-term and coordinated actions of city fathers to establish a sense of relationship with the people to establish a city or town which is gorgeous or eye-catching to both locals and outsiders.

Pioneers in the field of brand management have established that city branding is marked by the reconstruction of the identity of a place by capturing the best visual and behavioural expressions of the location.

City branding focuses on a step-by-step and long-term improvement of the place to attract investments in infrastructure development, buildings, as well as events and exhibitions, but this demands commitment by city fathers and city planners.

The DNA of city branding is far beyond the creation of a logo, symbol, physical boundaries or morphology, but the sum total of the mental associations that people make when they hear or visit a place.

It is the sum total of the city’s culture, architecture, lifestyle, religion, citizens and people’s experiences that are associated with the city.

The architectural discipline of city branding is well-defined through the extrapolation of the real value of a place to attract investors.

The genetic code for city branding is contextualised by the visual, verbal and behavioural expressions of the place, and filtered by word-of-mouth narration, news on television, social media and other people’s experiences. City branding is a human-centred discipline that is focused on the identity, image and reputation of a city as a territory which is managed by a committed authority.

It is a reflection of the mindset of city managers or a behavioural manifestation of the commitment of councillors or city fathers who are empowered to determine the governance of the city. It is a frame of memories that people make after visiting the city, and a reality of the typescripts of people running it, or a feature of the performance of the office bearers in the local authority.

It is an expression of the vision of the managers to ensure the city establishes an identity and reputation of their choice.

It is against this background that this article articulates the viewpoint that the character of our towns and cities today is a true reflection of the vision of the councillors voted into office to preside over the city affairs.

Burst pipes, portholes on roads, malfunctioning traffic lights and other related features of our towns and cities today are a reflection of the image of the councillors voted into office.

According to the philosophy of city branding, places communicate the identity and character of the people who are in charge of its upkeep.  City branding requires people with a historical background of creating a reputation of success and a commitment to ensuring the good of their country.

The concept of branding a city resides in the belief that every place should have a reputation in terms of culture, geographical conformation and service features. In this sense, the human presence plays a major role in the narration of the place to establish a connection between nature and the people in charge of development standards.

The identity and image of the city are, therefore, the natural extensions of the identity and image of the people who are running the place.

It is natural to identify people with their own city, and, therefore, councillors in Harare are an expression of the features the city exhibits to visitors. The uniqueness of the place is interwoven with the human presence in terms of lifestyle, religion and culture.

To show commitment to city branding, councillors are expected to rediscover the uniqueness of the city and investigate the history of the place, as well as the nature and intangible components of the city from an anthropocentric perspective.

This uniqueness will then be translated visually and strategically to keep it in constant touch with the human component. The current pothole scenario is caused by councillors who are busy pursuing political interests, instead of running the city to establish a brand with a respectable identity.

The Government is worth commending for the location of the new Parliament building in Mt Hampden in alignment with the vision to establish smart cities. After all, city branding is about rediscovering new territories and transforming locations into reputable brands and innovations that can become the source of the collective identity of the future.

Cities are inhabited by people. And the situation in Zimbabwe is that people elect councillors to run them. This implies that city branding in Zimbabwe is in the hands of the mayor and councillors, who are in charge of the affairs of the city, its lifestyle, culture, maintenance and character.

We should bear in mind that city branding is entirely in the hands of the inhabitants, who elect their representatives to run the affairs of the town or city, hoping that the officials will be true servants of the people. However, the situation in Harare and other cities throughout the country is pathetic. It appears voters are electing political opportunists who have not sacrificed for the country’s good. Their limited love for the country is generating sorry sites in city branding.

To build a strong place brand, the inhabitants must identify the right people, whose vision is excellent in terms of alignment with the vision of the Government to attain a middle-class society by 2030.

Charles Mavhunga co-authored textbooks in Business Enterprising Skills and is currently studying for a PhD in Management at Bindura University. He can be contacted at [email protected]. Cell: +263772989816