Unit 2 - Rebranding Places

• Rebranding aims to improve an area
  --> its image
  --> change people's perceptions 
       --> encouraging more people to come to the area 
• Rebranding can include
  - regeneration - making actual improvements to the area e.g. new buildings + services 
  -  re-imaging - using marketing to improve the image and reputation of a place (makes people aware of improvements)
• Aimed at internal users (residents + employees) and external "customers" (visitors + potential investors)
• Can include improving quality of life for residents, attracting new residents, tourists and business investment
  --> "virtuous cycle" created (ideally) - multiplier effect
• Needed when a place is in decline
  --> this can be due to social, economic and environmental problems (can also be political or demographic)
  --> these can create more problems resulting in a spiral of decline 

Urban

• Depopulation?
• Unemployment base?
• Deindustrialisation?
• Poor reputation?
• many industrial towns have lost factories resulting in massive decline in manufacturing.
• resulting in high unemployment, creating economic problems as some may have to live on low income or welfare
• economic problems can lead to spiral of decline as people migrate away from the area to look for work 
  --> services close --> fewer job oppurtunities --> further decline
• rebranding needed to encourage new investment which should bring jobs + money to the area 
  --> improvements in housing + local environment attract people back to area 

Rural

• Transport issues?
• Limited work?
• Agricultural change?
• Backward reputation?
• Decline of agriculture has led to reduced employment + economic problems
• lack of job oppurtunities leads to out-migration of young --> ageing population
• services (shops, schools, post offices) close due to out-migration of people for work --> spiral of decline --> economic + social isolation worsen
• attracting new business + tourists to area through rebranding increases employment + services
  --> encourages young to stay + new people to move to area 

Coastal

• Inaccessibility?
• Decline in tourism?
• Loss in fishing?
• No investment?
• cheap flights abroad mean fewer British tourists visit UK
  --> resorts are losing money + businesses are closing
• decline of fishing industry resulted in fewer jobs + further economic issues
• leads to out-migration of young + spiral of decline
• rebranding encourages new investment, bringing employment + wealth to the area 

Rebranding usually has a number of aims:

• Economic: to replace a 'lost' economic sector w/ a new one, creating employment and a positive multiplier
• Environmental: to improve the built environment to the point that an area is able to project a new, attractive image as a place to be, rather than a place to avoid
• Social: to encourage population growth and a more diverse population in terms of age, socio-economic group and possibly culture/ethnicity 

Various different strategies

• Attracting tourists - with leisure + sports facilities, culture + the arts
• Improving conditions for residents  - w/ better housing + more amenities
• Attracting investment - w/ new shops, commercial buildings + waterfront developments

Rebranding can be acheived through regenerations/reimaging projects

Developing new:

• housing
• shops 
• commercial buildings 
• art + cultural centres 
• technology 
• leisure + sports 

Flagship Developments

• large-scale, expensive, top-down initiatives
• designed to make radical change to an area's image + generate media interest
• funding comes from local/national gvnt.
  --> should bring success to workers at "bottom" who reap benefits from income that flagship dev. can bring (through tourists)

Community Projects

• smaller than flagship, bottom-up initiatives
• started by local people 

Promoting new:

• National parks
• Rural + historical heritage
• festivals
• food towns
• links w/ media
• leisure + sports
• art + culture centres

Having a focus on one strategy can speed up rebranding process through acting as a catalyst resulting in further change elsewhere within the area
--> spiral of regeneration in area as jobs provide employment + income
     --> boosting economy +  social environments

• EU Money
• Regional Development Agencies
• Local Councils
• Business + Industry
• Local people + communities
• Charities
• Property Developers