Bandung Kota Kembang, Aceh Serambi Mekah dan Yogya Kota Pelajar. We have heard such mottos and slogans taken for granted. It seems that the city’s name just beautifully resonates with the following words.
But have we ever asked, searched, where did this title, motto, slogan come from?
Yet, does the slogan still relevant to the current conditions? Is the city of Bandung still decorated with flowers? Is Jogja also still crowded with students from around the country competing for knowledge and networks?
Branding: A Definition
Branding is an attempt to give an identity to an entity (person, company, institution, area, etc.) with a certain design or symbol to advertise its products and services.
For example, a bottled beverage product known as a companion drink for all types of food (whatever the food, drink…). Or tobacco products which are usually identified with an adventurous, active, and creative lifestyle. Tobacco products sometimes described as being close to sports activities, despite its athletes are less likely to consume the products.
It has been proven that branding can really connect values that are far from the opposite in the real world, and the audience feels fine with that.
City Branding: The Wrong Way and The Right Way
Kalau dengan produk tembakau saja konsep branding bisa berhasil, apalagi jika diterapkan pada entitas kota atau wilayah.
Most local governments has implemented city identifier by using slogans made up from positive words like clean (bersih), beautiful (indah), or sehat (healthy). However, the slogan implementation is still limited to just a good acronym.
Take example for Kota Beriman (City of Faith), Kota Bersahaja, Kota Berbinar (City of Shining), Kota Bercahaya (City of Luminous) and a few more names that start with “ber” which is usually an acronym for the word “bersih”.
What is lacking in these slogans is a concrete thing that can be identified with the acronym. If you believe, who believes? If it’s understated, what’s understated?
Do Kota Bercahaya (Luminous Cities) have hundreds of thousands of lights lighting up the city all night? Does Kota Beriman (City of Faith) always pray and do religious activities all the time?
A city is not much different from the commonly marketed brand of goods and services. The identity of a city must be immediately recognized by its consumers.
There must be a concrete thing that can be associated with a city when the name of the city is called. Better yet, if it is something that can be sold.
Take example for Apple City, Shrimp City, Craftsman City, Furniture City, City of Education. This identity is easier for consumers to digest to identify the superiority of a city. One can more easily determine where to go if you want to look for a good fruit nature tour or look for a qualified furniture manufacturer.
The government and local city communities are also easier in determining building steps city branding they. When using branding Furniture City, the auto focus of development becomes more concrete and directed, namely:
- prepare sufficient and quality wood raw material infrastructure,
- facilitate furniture craftsmen to promote through exhibitions,
- provide training in producing quality furniture.
Ambon’s Success Story as a World Music City
One example of implementation city branding what works is Ambon City of Music which has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the World’s Creative Cities.
City Music Slogans are not without reason. The City of Ambon has fulfilled various requirements before it was designated a World Music City. Supporting infrastructure related to music such as art performance buildings, recording studios, and music schools has been widely built and fostered to make music a pillar of sustainable community development.
In everyday life, the city of Ambon is always colored by musical activities in every corner of the city.
As an icon of the City of Music, a Fountain of Dance was built in Pattimura Park which can dance to the rhythm of the music being played.
City Branding Kabupaten Bantul
The question as well as hope for all of us is, will Bantul succeed in implementing its the city branding concept?
A positive tone as an answer would be “Yes! Bantul can.”
Bantul’s infrastructures and creative ecosystems are the fuel to propel City of Folk Crafts and Arts city branding into a higher space. Numerous creative craft centers, art-oriented educational institutions, hundreds of years of popular art performances, as well as tourist villages that promote the creative superiority of the region is more than enough capital to win the predicate of City of Crafts and Folk Arts.