Outstanding Small Consultancy
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Promoting Birmingham
04th November 2008. Posted by Ruth Pipkin. Trackback
Photograph courtesy of Martin O'Connell - http://flickr.com/photos/martinoc/
As Ruth celebrates a year since she embarked on her New Zealand voyage, I am celebrating a (mere) four months since graduating. As fantastic as my university days were, the world of work is so much more appealing. My social life has far-from demised since being back in my hometown, and now I actually get paid to “lunch”… PR is definitely the right career for me!
I’m being sidetracked…
My dissertation contained 17,000 words on the role of public relations in positioning Birmingham as a ‘cultural’ city. So what did I find? Well, nothing much that I didn’t already know:
> Culture is difficult to define and has a different meaning to each person, thus making it difficult to define what ‘we’ should be promoting as cultural.
> City branding is a relatively new theory that is yet to be proven as a successful marketing tool... who should decide that ‘branding’ is the way to go, and more importantly, who controls this ‘brand’?
> There are numerous people controlling the messages communicated about the City.
> PR has a huge part to play and is a long-term investment on the part of everyone involved in the city’s reputation.
My opinions on the above haven’t particularly changed since working in the ‘industry’ but what has changed is my realisation that everyone has a part to play in changing the perceptions of the our City and region.
Since starting at Rewired, I have worked on some fantastic projects – Taste of Birmingham, Plus Design Festival and Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s Utmost Fidelity exhibition – that have enabled me to help promote Birmingham and the West Midlands on a national and international scale.
Despite the reputation that Birmingham is a grey, industrial, working-class city surrounded by a junction made from spaghetti, in actual fact it is amazing how the media respond to the cultural stories coming out of said city. I have learnt that most of this negativity is coming from people so used to be branded a ‘runner-up’ in the ridiculous Second City debate, that they have forgotten how to enjoy the place in which they live and work.
Aside from these people though are the ones behind music, festivals, art, shopping, theatre, and the creative industries as a whole. These people have an infectious enthusiasm for Birmingham and its future.
So, now that I am working in the very situation in which I wrote so many words about, I have learnt that theory doesn’t always apply; instead a city like Birmingham needs people to invest in its potential. A textbook can give you a foundation for how to promote a city but the implementation of this promotion will need a bit of passion. Birmingham’s creative industries are doing a fantastic job at making this an innovative, imaginative and exciting city… all we need now is to keep promoting this message and eventually Birmingham will gain the recognition it deserves.
Comments
Hi Tara, Glad to see that you have got the website up and running. From my experiences with you, it is fair to say that Birmingham is definately changing it's image - and having PR companies such as yourself promoting its individuality and cultural diversity will definately help. Hope to pop in soon for some 'lunching' with your lovely self and the much-spoken about Ruth! Best, Aaron
Aaron Huckett
04th November 2008
Well said Tara! I think you raise a very poignant debate about city branding, and wish that more industries outside of the creative field would realise the importance of being ambassadors in positive marketing for all areas of trade and industry in Birmingham. In my (almost) five years spent living and working in Birmingham, I was always bowled over my the vibrant and diverse culture, exceptional shopping, beautiful surroundings and most importantly the enthusiastic and hard-working individuals that make Birmingham such a fantasic place to be! I wish you both every success, and success in delivering PR campaigns that show Birmingham in its true light. A very bright, and shiny one!
Lucy Cannings-Barber
04th November 2008