Dialogue: Trouble is, it has no meaning, eh

The Auckland A campaign is flawed because it tries to impose a brand upon the city, rather than encapsulating its identity and spirit, says JUDY MOTION.

Successful branding campaigns are memorable, meaningful and capture the imagination. The Auckland A campaign developed by Saatchi & Saatchi is a playful attempt to capture the spirit of Auckland, but will probably annoy as many as it amuses.

Driving along Tamaki Drive and seeing banners with "Its going to be good A" does not create a sense of shared identity for this Aucklander.

And expecting that Aucklanders will use a hand-signal to greet one another is extremely hopeful. It may be more likely that the signal is used against Auckland drivers in the holiday rush.

Indeed, this campaign may well become memorable because it is an embarrassment rather than fun.

Where the campaign really falls down is the meaningful factor. It plays to the lowest common denominator with its link to our idiomatic use of "eh," rather than drawing on positive common perceptions and experiences that we all share as Aucklanders.

A brand is a marketing technique for representing names, slogans, symbols, meanings and values in a recognisable form. Brands are used to identify and differentiate products, organisations, people or places.

Because brand meanings reside in the mind of the recipient, brands mean different things to different people, but branding campaigns that create positive meanings for the recipients have a greater chance of success.

What did "Coke is it" or "Coke, the real thing" really mean? Each person has their own interpretation of a brand or slogan, so marketers cannot control a brand image.

The aim, then, of a branding campaign is to create a number of positive associations in the minds of those who interpret brands.

Coke is associated with youth, fun and energy. Auckland, too, would need to draw on a number of positive associations in order to augment its positive image into a marketable brand.

Creating a strong brand can create awareness, knowledge and value, and translate into financial rewards. A branding campaign for Auckland should thus result in a more favourable awareness of Auckland and add value.

The key to a successful branding campaign for Auckland lies in creating strong, favourable and unique brand associations.

Saatchi & Saatchi is famous for its ideas and creating unique brand associations. The secret of its success has been the way in which it develops a series of brand associations that result in an emotional affinity towards the brand.

Hiking Rangitoto, eating at the Viaduct Basin, shopping in Newmarket, Ponsonby and Parnell, and leisure time spent on the waterfront are all positive associations that people have of Auckland. About a third of New Zealanders live in Auckland and it is reputed to be the largest Polynesian city in the world.

All of these positive associations for Auckland do not naturally lead to a campaign titled Auckland A.

Trying to impose a brand on a city rather than encapsulating its identity and spirit is one of the fundamental errors of branding.

We do need to be able to communicate who we are and what we stand for in Auckland, but the challenge is to do so in a positive and inspirational manner.

There is a genuine risk that the Auckland A campaign will be rejected because people want a slogan that is inspirational rather than understated. "Absolutely, Positively Wellington" worked precisely because it was both meaningful and inspirational.

Inspirational slogans unite people with a common vision and create positive associations for a brand. Hamilton has had a history of embarrassing branding campaigns that became jokes - from the Fountain City moniker to the "Hamilton, Where It's Happening" slogan. These campaigns failed because they were neither inspirational, authentic or grounded in reality.

The Auckland A campaign is trying to encapsulate the diverse identity of Auckland but it should also result in a deeper understanding of Auckland's personality and competitive advantages.

Does this new branding campaign capture the Auckland psyche and the spirit of Auckland? Is it clever? Is it imaginative? Has it potential? The only affirmative answer to these questions is yes, it has potential.

The symbol A could be used to develop a campaign that does reflect the multinational, vibrant and diverse nature of Auckland. The images accompanying the campaign will be crucial. Aucklanders and visitors must identify with the images in order to associate with this campaign.

To succeed, a branding campaign for Auckland must have an emotional appeal. It must differentiate us from other cities and form a mental vision of what Auckland stands for.

Saatchi & Saatchi have given us an understated, yet hopeful slogan. But the campaign now needs to be supported by a clever promotional campaign that draws on our strong emotional attachment for Auckland, reflects what Auckland means to those of us who live here and promotes the city's unique charms.

* Dr Judy Motion is a senior lecturer in the department of marketing at the University of Auckland.