Support, and controversy, growing ahead of Liverpool's proposed £150,000 re-brand - North West Media News

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Support, and controversy, growing ahead of Liverpool's proposed £150,000 re-brand

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Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Liverpool Council is gearing up to spend a proposed £150,000 on a re-brand for the city in the aftermath of its reign as Capital of Culture. The new identity will seek to reposition it to challenge some of the biggest city destinations in the world.

However, as ever in the controversial field of destination branding, not everyone appears to be happy about the idea.

Liverpool. More than just...

A council report released last week detailed the motivation behind the re-brand, noting how successful rival cities were at positioning themselves on one quality or brand value (eg “Paris is romance, Milan is style”).

The report stated: “the Liverpool branding project will seek to provide a powerful and positive Liverpool brand that is both desirable to investors and visitors and will develop the hugely successful Capital of Culture 08 brand to market the city in the future.”

How-Do contacted the council to find out what stage the project was currently at.

A spokesperson noted that it was too early at this juncture to confirm many details and that, as yet, there was no set schedule in place for putting the job out to tender and appointing an agency team.

Nevertheless, although the plan is obviously at a nascent stage, the debate raging around it appears to be fairly advanced.

... the fab four surely?

Trinity’s Liverpool Echo is ostensibly at the vanguard of the discussion, highlighting opposition council members displeasure at spending the proposed sum in the current economic climate, while also encouraging its readers to come up with their own ideas.

These, it stated, “started pouring in immediately.”

Examples quoted by the paper so far have featured Liver birds with many focusing on the Beatles.

These included ‘Liverpool – let it be your city’ and ‘Liverpool – There are places you’ll remember’, a play on the fab fours’ In My Life.

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Comments (13)

1 By Good grief, on 15-10-2008 06:56
For God's sake can we just forget about the bloody Beatles! Liverpool does need a new brand to market it to international and UK audiences and bring it kicking and screaming out of the past and get rid of this sense of victimhood we often cultivate.
There's some momentum now from the 08 status, so let's not let that die and go back to misty eyed contemplations of what once was.
150k is a small price to pay to carry on the process of putting this city back on its feet!

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2 By Old Hack, on 15-10-2008 10:46
I agree with Good grief. So for a minimal fee I suggest "A City of Culture". It continues the Capital bit and embraces ALL the cultures we have and it's simple.

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3 By beatlesfan, on 15-10-2008 10:51
The Beatles are the only legacy that the Pool has had in the last 50 years. During the postwar years the city was a mess and become so again during the Degsy Hatton days. Heseltine invested zillions in regeneration that went straight down the plughole. The Spectator was right in calling the place a city of whingers and Boris should never have been sent up to apologise. City of Culture is an expensive joke -- even including the shows by ex-Beatles. Manchester is the real capital of northwest culture. Lennon would have been a genius wherever he came from.

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4 By Woody, on 15-10-2008 12:11
I've heard a rumour they are going to re-brand the city as 'Beatlespool', with Liverpool Lime Street also changing to Ringo Starr Central, which I think is only right after his Thomas The Tank Engine days.

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5 By Mr Sock, on 15-10-2008 16:35
Don't give them any ideas Woody

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6 By Ringpiece, on 16-10-2008 10:09
Peace and love, peace and love. But after December 31st 2008, the world will not be responding to anymore of Liverpool's ridiculous demands that it be ranked alongside it's greatest cities. Peace and love, but it's got better things to do, and there're more interesting places to visit. So peace off.

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7 By Sir Lancelot(shire), on 16-10-2008 17:29
A few years ago Merseyside was going to become Liverpool Bay (after Summer Bay I kid you not)
What's wrong with South Lancashire?

Ask St Helens or Southport people what they think? there's no allegiance to Liverpool or Merseyside at all.

Ditch Merseyside, it has too many negative connotations and means bugger all to anyone!
Liverpool - South Lancashire

...it'll give the mancs something to copy again too ;-)

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8 By Sosher, on 17-10-2008 11:05
The Beatles may well be a legacy but an increasingly irrelevant one to most people who live or work here. Keep the tourists and the money coming in by all means but let's move on. Rebranding is a great idea.

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9 By mancunian, on 17-10-2008 14:11
I read this interesting post on the Liverpool Post site from a Scouser unhappy at the move of 400 printing jobs to Oldham:

"Isn't it odd how most of the major sponsors/supporters of the 08 celebrations have been in trouble during the past year.

Sayers - takeover and job losses
Ethel Austin - retrenchment and job losses
Alliance and Leicester - possible takeover
Cains - administration
Liverpool Daily Post and Echo - job losses"

Yes, indeed! Liverpool culture is summed up by Carla Lane's sitcoms, an whining, nasal accent and the anticipation of looking forward to giro day. As for Mancunians wanting to copy anything from the wrong end of the M62, well ..............!

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10 By pedro, on 17-10-2008 20:16
mancunian, i shouldn't bite but gloating about people losing their jobs and agencies losing good clients is a cheap shot

how do's a great site, let's keep it civil and talk up 2 great cities

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11 By Steely Daniel, on 19-10-2008 10:14
I still can't say 'Liverpool - Capital of Culture' with a straight face. And anyone who thinks Manchester is a city of culture, needs to travel beyond Ibiza and Magaluf. The fact it produced a few bands in the 80s and 90s doesn't make it Medici Florence.

About Liverpool, I have to stress, I'm talking about the place not the people. I'm a Southerner, and Scousers are by far the nicest people in the North.

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12 By oldham echo, on 19-10-2008 13:54
"Paris is romance; Milan is style.
Liverpool is neither - by a country mile"

Logo?

An orange WAG with handbag rampant raised on two shaven-headed bouncers

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13 By Deydodohdontdeydoh, on 19-10-2008 21:10
How about West Manchester?

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