Re-Branding Our State
Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 9:47 am
There was an interesting article in adelaidenow (below) about how the brand of South Australia is often confused by people overseas.
The re-branding of our State has been made a priority by the years end. It has even been suggested that we change the name of our State to make it more identifiable!
That raises a few questions; should we change the name of our State and if so, what should we change it to?
The re-branding of our State has been made a priority by the years end. It has even been suggested that we change the name of our State to make it more identifiable!
That raises a few questions; should we change the name of our State and if so, what should we change it to?
PREMIER Jay Weatherill wants a new brand for South Australia - because he believes our international image is vague and difficult to explain.
Mr Weatherill has asked his Economic Development Board to develop a new brand for the state by the end of the year.
He met South Australian Agent-General and advertising guru Bill Muirhead in London this week to discuss the state's rebranding options, and earlier this morning announced the appointment of economist and author Tim Harcourt as an advisor to help boost exports and attract foreign investment and migrants to SA.
Mr Weatherill said he was being regularly introduced at international functions as the Premier of NSW, including at a G'Day USA fun-ction earlier in the year, and on Tuesday night in London at a function with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Mr Weatherill expected the rebranding to "trigger public debate about what is the essence of our state and how it should be presented to the world".
"Modern regions compete on the attractions of their capital cities," he said.
Mr Muirhead said there was "confusion about our brand, which happens all the time".
"When we say South Australia to ... people here in the UK, they see in their mind's eye the southern half of Australia," Mr Muirhead said.
"My view is that we have to do something different.
"We don't want to be Victoria or NSW. We have to be us."
Mr Muirhead also warned that SA was often confused with the abbreviation for South Africa.
Mr Weatherill described South Australia as a "very difficult concept to explain".
"It's the confusion of South Australia and NSW and it's everything in the bottom half of the country," he said.
Mr Muirhead agreed NSW and Victoria focused on Sydney and Melbourne heavily and he would be keen to have the Adelaide name feature in a new branding strategy.
Mr Weatherill described Adelaide as a "beautiful name".
A new "masterbrand" would dispel confusion, boost awareness and provide an umbrella for sub-brands used by government agencies and other bodies that are responsible for promoting the state in areas such as tourism, defence and education.
"If these brands all have some consistency and they're joined up they will work much harder for you ... and that will save the state a lot of money," Mr Muirhead said.
"There are plenty of places out there all competing for what we're competing for, we have to be top of mind."
Mr Muirhead said SA should focus on its iconic offerings, such as Kangaroo Island.
"It's a mini-Australia - it has beaches, wildlife, food and the best thing is the name," he said.
Mr Weatherill agreed Kangaroo Island was a name with "strong recognition and more use could be made of that".
SA Economic Development Board chair Raymond Spencer told an Urban Development Institute of Australia lunch in Adelaide last week that "nobody in the world knows about South Australia".
"If you mention South Australia, the picture is this funny map (of Australia) - a line across the middle.
"This presents us with an opportunity to get on the world stage and brand our state. Without it, we will not attract the people that we need."
Mr Spencer supported a debate about changing the state's name or brand.
"Even if the name of the state stays the same, or if it got changed to Adelaide or something else, the very process itself would really raise the profile," he said.
The Government is working on the rebranding with the SA Tourism Commission and Advantage SA, using existing Budget funds.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au
