Athens Co-creation Project | Rebranding towards a Smart City | Meeting De-briefing
Upon meeting the creatives of the Athens City Branding Project on March 12th 2019, cordinated by Associate Professor of Cultural Marketing, Betty Tsakarestou, for the MA in Cultural Management at Panteion university of Athens, this paper focuses on de-briefing all the mindful ideas stated, regarding the re-branding co-creation of Athens. The Speakers: Mrs Amalia Zepou representing The Municipality of Athens, Mrs Evita Kalogiorga head of communications for the This is Athens Project and the team members of the SynAthina Project, all supplied us with fruitful ideas and thoughts about the city re-branding project. First Mrs Kalogiorga, shared with us a video presentation of the city of Athens from “This is Athens Project” was that it is based on the many different experiences/stories one can have while visiting Athens. There were more purposes mentioned on the video, such as the importance of attracting investors and new habitans, and about those new future citizens we were thrilled to create an expanded branding identity. The mass projection of our ancient civilazation was commented by all sides, more or less outmoded, and it is our belief that the branding co-creators have to focus more on creating a story about Athens, that is not based upon ancient ruins, but by influential present. Up next Mrs Zepou proceeded with the presentation of the Municipality of Athens, focusing on the volunteering actions that organisations and volunteering teams had created co-working with the state. We were amazed by all the actions that take place in favor of our city, and we would like to propose to entail them in one main narrative about Athens. SynAthina project, collaborating with the state, created various actions that aim to improve life for the citizents of Athens, by supporting other independent teams, and organise events that aim to bring together people that want to see the city change. While discussing all the actions and creative brainstorming stated above, we focused on trying to find ways of connecting these dots, and re-create the branding of the city. One of our main challenges is to internally connect these contributors, and achieve a new organisational set up change. Bringing all factors together, through a reframe and a re-evaluation of all the projects mentioned. Our team would try to think of ways of overcoming the structural problem occured among the contributors’ strategies. By creating one main narrative, we would try to overcome the old digested idea of what Athens is concerned of, quite narrowed to what we all very well know so far. We aim to enhance the communication among the partners, and also to give more insight regarding the personas that the city branding is addresed to. With the upcoming elections getting closer, the partners representig the Municipality, expressed the fear that all that they have created so far is about to fall apart, and they addressed us to propose one sustainable solution, that will stabilize the branding of AThens. A lasting positive impact would be it. Creating Athens city branding, in a way that could last and facilitate the changes we would like to see on how someone feels about living in Athens as well as, interacts with the city and its posibilities. By engrowing the partnership of the city of Athens, under, not only one main narrative, but also a main platform, aiming to raise the awareness of our identity to the outter world consisting of creative persons who would like to make Athens, their own city, in order to create and ivest. By focusing on the foreign students, the Erasmus students, and all the individuals already co-existing in our multicultural city, and mainly changing the very greek orientated view of our city, could provide possitive feedback on how these individuals are already experiencing Athens. By changing Athens’ branding we are not only aiming in attracting new individuals, but we are actually acting in terms of soft diplomacy. By creating a new branding idea, we are also creating space for new begginings, innovation and ideas to come. Guerilla marketing is no longer of use, and should be out of service. This is the time to raise civic engagement, to create partnerships build on trust and collaboration. Re-inventing the terms of multicultural, having the state emploees engaging the main narrative that we will be creating, engaging the young in that very culture. Basing our narrative, on real stories, over-coming the very old-fashioned romantic aspect of our city, moving on something sustainable, something solid and substantial. What life does Athens contain really? What are its prospects and its dynamics? How does the past incorporates to the present and how that can lead us to the most glorious and innovative future? Those are the the main keypoints that all the partners are going to focus on, in order to be able to engage the city of tomorrow.
Story written by Irene Theodosi / Marilena Katsarou / Nikos Yalelis
