Next stop: Madrid by |Global Citizens|
We are a three-member team of Cultural Management students, interested in Athens’ regeneration through culture and co-creation. Within the context of the workshop “Athens Co-Creation City Branding Project”, hosted by Betty Tsakarestou we took a journey around the world to explore initiatives, campaigns and cases that apply to vibrant cities and have a message to communicate to the world.
*Global citizens a.k.a. Eva Anagnostaki, Ourania Mavriki & Anastasia Rizou
Continuing our journey to Europe and after Lyon’s case, we made a stop at Madrid.
The Spanish capital is probably one of the most underestimated European capitals, regarding its touristic fame. Despite the fact that, in terms of citiness, Madrid ranks pretty high (even higher than “the absolute Spanish destination” named Barcelona), it still lacks popularity and, most of all, an explicit image for its potential visitors.
What comes in your mind when you hear of “Madrid”? Probably something like: Prado, Reina Sofia, Santiago Bernabeu, Paella, Real…Nevertheless, Madrid is much more. Let’s delve into some facts and figures about this intriguing city!
The Madrilenian people, known as “Los Gatos” (The Cats) should also feel really proud about living in one of the most vibrant European cities, where students, visitors and nine-to-fivers mingle with each other in the numerous bars and restaurants of the city, parks, or even its streets.
What about Madrid´s branding though? Interestingly, when Landor associates was asked to propose a differentiating positioning for the city, they indicated that Madrid’s lively lifestyle should be more explicitly communicated. As a matter of fact, research has corroborated that Madrid is a surprise to many visitors. As read in the The city branding processes: The case of Madrid:
The tourists have their own stereotyped version: Madrid is the capital of Spain, Spain is flamenco and bulls, Madrid is “Sunny Andalucia”. The surprise consists of finding a world-class transport infrastructure, a dynamic economy, an exhibition centre that is second to none in Europe, etc. in short, they find a great European capital.
The city branding of Madrid is run by the agency Promociόn Madrid and is fully financed by the city hall. By offering four main communication channels, including TV/magazine/website/apps, Promoción Madrid aims to promote the city as a cultural, entrepreneurial and touristic hub, open for everyone.
How is that translated into narrative, though?
Let’s go back to 2010. “MADrid about you”
Arts & Culture, Business feeling, Luxury & Relaxed lifestyle, Sightseeing, Gastronomy & Nightlife, thus everything. MADrid is and has everything. Following the route of a tourist, from the airport to the city centre, the campaign portrays the touristic attractions of Madrid-fair enough-disregarding yet the everyday life and the genuine local feeling of the city. Having, personally, lived briefly in Madrid, I would say that the story communicated in this video lacks in representing the authentic Madrilenian life and spirit and its, probably, most alluring asset, its people.
Madrid. A way of life (2011)
A way of life which is appealing, yet the Madrilenian people are almost absent from it. The locals only appear as a stereotypical feature of the city, welcoming the tourist with a glass of “cerveza” and showing them their easy-going lifestyle. Although there is a shift towards a more “local” feeling in comparison to “MADrid about you”, the city’s story seems to be still pretty vague.
Madrid, reserved for you (2014)
What if Madrid hosted the Olympics? Then, the guests would visit a beautiful, European city with lots of attractions, rich cultural history, a city that “was reserved for him/her”. In this campaign, the city is transformed into a gathering space, where a bunch of tourists wander and discover its charm. The message is explicit: Madrid invites the potential visitors to complete its incomplete carte-postale, by putting their faces in the frame. A strong memorandum that Madrid could be an ideal Olympics host or is “Madrid is for everyone” back in the game ?
Madrid, a city where everyone is welcome (2016)
The last campaign is probably the most interesting and differentiated one. The main idea of “Madrid is for everyone” is now transformed into a more inclusive notion, where everyone is welcome and fairly-treated. Madrid has the appropriate infrastructure and assets to accommodate people with disabilities and this is an interesting approach, as long as it represents the authentic face of the city. Does this campaign indicate a switch in Promoción Madrid’s strategy? We’ll just have to wait and see…
Based on the above video campaigns, we could conclude in this branding statement: Madrid is a metropolis with a feeling of home, with open-minded and friendly people, it is the absolute business and culture destination with lots of attractions and entertainment options. Nonetheless, from our point of view what should be re-examined is whether Madrid’s holistic branding approach is effective. Could the local community’s involvement and the Madrilenian people’s spirit prevail in Madrid’s branding and provide it with the singular image that it deserves? This is a question we also raised regarding our city, Athens, and after this interesting journey around the globe, it was also a great starting point for our exploration.
* You can find our presentation for the case of Madrid here.
Next story by Global Citizens: The Case of Athens!
