Brand Book
#ADL Grant Hancock, South Australian Tourism Commission
Adelaide is a city with big plans for the future, and Adelaide. Designed for Life. is the platform on which those plans will be built.
This book will guide you through the why, when and how Adelaide. Designed for Life. can be used to promote both your brand and Adelaide as a place.
City of Adelaide acknowledges the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains as the traditional custodians of the land on which this publication was created.
How to use this brand book.
Adelaide has a great story to tell and share. This brand book explains the elements of the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand, so you’ll not just understand them, but use them with your own brand to positively influence people’s perceptions of Adelaide. When you fully understand the brand, you’ll be able to raise awareness of it, support positive messaging and perceptions, and communicate a strong and consistent message to the marketplace.
Our hash tag #ADL serves as both an abbreviation of Adelaide and an acronym of our brand Adelaide. Designed for Life.
WOMADelaide, South Australian Tourism Commission
How do people feel about Adelaide? What do they say to others about us? Will they come here? Will they study here? Will they invest here?
#ADL #ADL
Introduction
Cities are a lot like people.
Some are brash and loud.
She also has an impressive resume.
Some are sophisticated and smooth.
Once the ‘city of churches’ but now the city of the arts, indigenous culture, food and wine, space technology, defence, advanced manufacturing, machine learning, medical breakthroughs, education – the list goes on.
Some are young and cool. Adelaide is harder to define. She is definitely beautiful. Certainly creative. But also something of an enigma: A wallflower who knows how to party. A music loving bohemian with hi-tech credentials. Her cultural roots, stories and connections to her traditional owners – the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains – are tens of thousands of years old. Yet, as far as cities go, Adelaide is young. But she is growing up fast. And we don’t just mean taller. In the last decade or so, Adelaide has developed an international outlook. She has a new confidence too. She now accepts acclaim as one of the world’s most liveable cities not with a shriek of surprise, but a nod of acknowledgement.
Yes, Adelaide is growing, but her DNA remains the same. Adelaide is located on the geographic heart of Kaurna Country, with a cultural connection spanning millenia. When planning Adelaide, Colonel Light was inspired by the wisdom of the Kaurna people. Light wanted Adelaide to be a place for her people. The location, wide streets, the squares and Park Lands – every element of her design was to make people’s lives either better or easier. Yes, Adelaide. Designed for Life. is a new positioning but it’s what defined Adelaide when she was just a plan drawn on a sheet of paper. And it will be the foundation on which Adelaide continues to grow and prosper.
#ADL
South Australian Tourism Commission
Introduction
Designed for Life. 3 simple words.
But they are at the heart of Adelaide’s story. ‘Designed for Life’ is our past, present and most importantly, our future. It’s the brand promise on which Adelaide will grow. So what do we want people to say about Adelaide? A brand is more than an ad or a tagline.
On the following pages we’ve presented some of the building blocks of the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand. We hope they provide you with a greater understanding of the brand, and inspire you to use the brand whenever you are promoting our beautiful city.
It’s more of a conversation. ‘Designed for Life’ is just part of that conversation. The rest will be written or spoken by people who come here, people who live here, people who work here, people who visit for a day or even an hour. And of course, people like you. You’re not just part of this great city, you are Adelaide. You’re our voice. You’re our smile. You’re the way we are perceived. You’re the way we will be represented.
#ADL
Brand Type Brand Types are categories of brands that share the same strategic approach or take similar stances to shape their positioning. Nine different brand types exist:
Disruptive brand
Conscious brand
Service brand
Innovative brand
Value brand
Performance brand
Luxury brand
Style brand
Experience brand
Understanding which of these nine best matched our aspirations for Adelaide was the starting point in anchoring Adelaide as a brand.
Used with permission from Denise Lee Yohn as referenced in her book FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies (Nicholas Brealey, 2018).
Brand Type Adelaide is an Experience brand underpinned by Conscious, Innovative and Style elements.
SUPPORT
PRIMARY
Experience brand We are differentiated by the experiences we deliver. We are exciting, energetic, imaginative, enjoyable.
Conscious
Innovative
Style
Inspiring,
Risk-taking,
Creative,
thoughtful,
imaginative,
stylish,
transparent.
progressive.
contemporary.
#ADL
Brand Values
Brand Values are guiding principles at the very core of Adelaide. Designed for Life. They define what we believe in, and what’s important to us. They are designed to influence and inspire the mindset and behaviour of everyone who works with the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand.
Creativity is intelligence having fun. Albert Einstein (1879–1955), Theoretical physicist.
Brand Values
Value 1:
Creative. Adelaide has long been recognised as one of the world’s great festival cities and home to many globally significant art and cultural collections and events. As the first and only City of Music in Australia, Adelaide is now a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. But in Adelaide, ‘creativity’ is not confined to artistic pursuits. Creativity is the use of imagination and the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. It is characterised by the ability to see the world in new ways, to create connections and find innovative solutions. We believe in the power of creativity and champion new ideas that transform our world.
#ADL
Brand Values
Value 2:
Progressive. Adelaide has long been a city of ‘firsts’. Adelaide was the first city in Australia to have an elected town council, to open a purpose-built arts centre, to host festivals and the first to grant women the right to vote. Most recently, our focus on technology and the knowledge economy has seen Adelaide become host to Australia’s first dedicated space agency and the first institute dedicated to research in machine learning. But we must accept this important truth: We do not have a reputation as a progressive city. We do not have a reputation as a pioneering city. We do not have a reputation as an agile city. Therefore, adopting the decision-making and behaviour of a progressive city is more important than ever. It is through our decisions and deeds that we bring this value to life and begin to build our future reputation as a truly progressive world city.
#ADL
Brand Values
The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come. Anonymous
Brand Values
Sometimes what you’re looking for is already there. Aretha Franklin (1942–2018), American singer-songwriter.
Brand Values
Value 3:
Confident. Adelaide has much to be proud of – and much to be confident about. As one of the world’s most liveable cities, we have an enviable position as a boutique city able to maximise opportunities. But we have also been burdened by the oxymoron referred to as an ‘arrogant inferiority complex’. What does this mean? It means that while we believe we live in the best city on earth, we also secretly – and sometimes not-so-secretly – harbour a fear that we’re not as good as other cities and are somewhat apologetic in our tone and style. The time has come for this to end. We will make confident decisions. We will make bold decisions. We will embrace our place as one of the world’s most liveable cities and confidently promote our place in the world.
#ADL
Brand Values
Value 4:
Balanced. Adelaide truly is a city designed for life. Planned by Colonel William Light in 1837, his vision was for a utopian city perfectly positioned between the hills and the sea. As the first Australian city to be planned and settled by free settlers without convict labour, Adelaide was founded with the early ideals of freedom, diversity and inclusion. This balance between individual quality of life and population growth; between sustainability and commerce has long been at the heart of Adelaide. We seek prosperity, but not at any cost. Adelaide is a unique global city designed to grow in a sustainable way that continuously enriches the wellbeing and quality of life of its people.
#ADL
Brand Values
You don’t get harmony when everyone sings the same note. Doug Floyd (1949), American musician.
@whereistarablog
@beauty_of_adelaide
@agwcs
@salladi_24
@michaelwaterhousephotography
@contagiousdj
@tema.sitabkhan
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Michael Waterhouse, Artist Fin DAC, SATC
KaZKaptureZ, SATC
@adelaide_by_jahn_
Brand Attributes
One of the world’s most liveable cities.
Brand Attributes
Brand Attributes are the words, images or characteristics that the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand will become recognised – and famous – for.
These words will create meaning and value for our brand. On the following page you’ll see the full suite of brand attributes associated with the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand. Sprinkle them liberally across all of your marketing activities – website, PR, social, blogs and the like. But as humans, our memories are quite limited. Our cognitive system called ‘working memory’ means we can only store a small number of words (maybe 5) in conscious memory at any time. So if that’s the case, what will these five words be? What are the five things Adelaide will become famous for? Here’s our thoughts on Adelaide’s ‘Famous 5’:
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Brand Attributes
Progressive Once an object, a person or even a city gains momentum, it’s hard to slow it down. Adelaide is like that right now – a city brimming with confidence and always looking forward. Opportunities are everywhere for people and businesses because Adelaide isn’t just embracing change, she’s creating it.
Sustainable Adelaide was planned to be in harmony with the environment, as the first city to be completely encircled by Park Lands. These days ‘green’ means something quite different, and again Adelaide leads the way. Carbon Neutral Adelaide is a shared ambition to make Adelaide one of the world’s first carbon neutral cities, to lead climate change action, and protect our environment and economy.
Proximity Adelaide is famously easy to get around, because everything’s close. You can go from A to B (Adelaide to the beach) in less than half an hour, while the hills, Barossa and McLaren Vale are all no more than 60 minutes away. Adelaide’s location in the centre of Australia also makes it easy to get to and from the other capital cities.
Connected Recent events have reminded us of the importance of being and staying connected – to the world and each other. Adelaide is a warm, friendly and welcoming place, but we know the importance of being connected to other cities. As the nation’s first 10 Gigabit city, Adelaide is a city designed not only for connection, but for speedy connections as well.
Surprising Adelaide is fast becoming a city that surprises even the locals. It’s a place of unexpected but perfect contrasts, like plenty of space and a space agency, winemakers and film-makers, hi-tech hubs and great pubs. It’s changing so quickly you never know what’s around the corner. Curious? Come and see for yourself.
#ADL
Brand Attributes
Inclusive
Exciting
Environment
Unique
Easy
Creative
Courageous Safe Artistic Open-minded Festivals Technology Authentic
Entrepreneurial Caring
Natural
Clean
Innovative
Dynamic Responsible Respectful Beautiful Cosmopolitan Food & wine Spacious
Famous 5 Beaches Sport Progressive Education Hills Universities Sustainable Sustainable Kaurna Proximity MulticulturalFun Connected Diverse Community Surprising Considerate Confident
Vibrant
Cultured
City in a park
Smart
Nature
Cool
Space
Welcoming Defence
Brand Purpose The role of Adelaide. Designed for Life. is to deliver a focused and consistent narrative for all organisations and agencies charged with positioning Adelaide as a destination for life, work and play. It allows us to have a consistent and compelling expression of Adelaide as a place; to articulate our strategic positioning and differentiating characteristics to compete globally for investment, people and ideas. Strong brands are built on consistency, distinctiveness and emotional resonance.
#ADL will harness these characteristics as we achieve three overarching goals: 1. Unify our various agencies to share a common voice when promoting Adelaide 2. Motivate and provide compelling reasons for people to consider Adelaide 3. Inspire each other and our customers with a desire to choose Adelaide.
South Australian Tourism Commission
Brand Purpose
Unify, motivate and inspire.
#ADL
Brand Blueprint
Our brand on a page
Adelaide. Designed for Life. An Experience Brand
The Brand Blueprint presents the essence of the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand, and key strategic building blocks on one page. These building blocks should drive all behaviour regarding Adelaide. Designed for Life.
Our Values Creative Progressive Confident Balanced
Our Purpose Unify, Motivate and Inspire
How we make our customers feel Delighted Surprised Proud Fulfilled Excited Want to explore more
Famous 5 Progressive Sustainable Proximity Connected Surprising
Brand Decision-making Matrix The Decision-making Matrix provides a framework for objective decision-making regarding Adelaide. Designed for Life. based on the key strategic brand tools. When faced with a business decision use this matrix to ensure decisions are aligned with the Adelaide. Designed for Life. brand. The Tests
Type
Is this what an EXPERIENCE brand would do?
Y
N
N/A
Purpose
Will this UNIFY, MOTIVATE and INSPIRE?
Y
N
N/A
Values
Is this what a CREATIVE city would do?
Y
N
N/A
Is this what a PROGRESSIVE city would do?
Y
N
N/A
Is this what a CONFIDENT city would do?
Y
N
N/A
Is this what a BALANCED city would do?
Y
N
N/A
Attributes
Will this decision enhance our Famous Five?
Y
N
N/A
Customer
Will this make consumers feel Delighted / Excited / Proud?
Y
N
N/A
#ADL
South Australian Tourism Commission
City of Adelaide
Adelaide. Designed for Life. is designed for sharing.
We’d love you to call us or join in the conversation online. When we share our stories and ideas the brand becomes that much stronger. To download this brand book, find out about partnership opportunities; access research reports, media releases and our image library; or see, share and participate in our social channels and podcasts, visit cityofadelaide.com.au/designedforlife
CityofAdelaide CityofAdelaide cityofadelaide CityofAdelaideOfficial cityofadelaide City Living
#ADL
25 Pirie Street, Adelaide South Australia 5000 +61 8 8203 7203
cityofadelaide.com.au/designedforlife