Place marketing has hit the headlines in the last few days –
with three English seaside towns in the news for different reasons. First, and
most prominently, Margate was the focus of BBC1’s The Apprentice with some cringeworthy attempts to rebrand the town. More
than seven million viewers watched the show and it appeared on more than 180
different news websites. Although it's fair to say that neither the town nor the Apprentices came out in a particularly good light.
Preferring to adopt a more professional approach to
promoting their place, Blackpool launched their amusing “Je t’aime” video on
YouTube attracting 25,000 views in its first few days, but perhaps
more importantly, being carried on more than 60 news channels including the BBC
and ITN. Full marks for creativity, even if it's a reworking of the great Boddingtons adverts featuring Manchester.
And finally, this week saw the seaside town of Scarborough,
see off 350 competitors to win the 2008 European Enterprise Awards.While this story did not grab the headlines in the same way
that Margate did, it is the most positive and significant of the three stories
and the one that will resonate with target audiences for many years to come.
These three stories exemplify the challenges of place
marketing and show that the most successful campaigns are the ones founded based
on hard-work, real change, ambition and creativity.
