Entries tagged with: Ideas
Think small
It is every city’s challenge to carve out a unique brand, position and value proposition that is compelling to local, regional, and national communities alike (business and individuals).
We like to think of Cape Town as a leading international city – a global icon. I think Cape Town can still be a global icon and a compelling place to live, work, and play. However, we are never going to be an international CITY that goes toe-to-toe for positioning against global CITIES like New York, Barcelona, and Melbourne. We are not that. We are different, and for many this is better.
Let us realise we’ll never be bigger than our name – Cape TOWN – and rather re-frame this positively. Let’s position Cape TOWN as the best and the coolest TOWN in the world where everthing you could want is in close proximity- a vibrant, diverse, globally connected community with easy-living town values. Cape Town can still be a unique global icon.
This is a compelling story and an idea worth mulling over. Food for thought when developing the Cape Town brand.
Forward thinking Cape Town
I attended the second Forward Thinkers Forum this morning. The Forum is a loose gathering of people, facilitated by Ernst & Young, to debate and discuss ideas and issues in the spirit of ensuring Cape Town is a compelling place to live, work, and play, in a global and regional context, for a long time to come.
Guy Lundy, CEO of the newly formed private sector body Accelerate Cape Town, led a discussion about the Cape Town we may want 20 years ahead, rooted in the context of where we are now. Cape Town’s market, products (industries and service sectors), values, uniqueness, and other issues all came up for discussion.
An idea I put forward was about Cape Town’s positioning. Rather than pursuing a difficult path of going toe-to-toe for positioning against global CITIES like New York, Barcelona, and Melbourne, let us realise we’ll never be bigger than our name – Cape TOWN – and re-frame this positively. Let’s position Cape TOWN as the best and the coolest town in the world where everything you could want is in close proximity- a vibrant, diverse, globally connected community with easy-living town values. It is a compelling story and an idea worth mulling over.
What do you think?