City Branding City branding of Amsterdam as a candidate city for the Olympic Games in 2028 International Olympic Academy Master programme: Olympic Studies Name: Lea van Breukelen Module: 2.4 Marketing Professors: S. Brownell, J. Davis & B. Séguin
The Olympic Games are the perfect way to showcase a city to the rest of the world, literally the rest of the world. The media coverage of the Games is intense and overwhelms most other programming, the Beijing Games reached 4.7 billion television viewers, 70% of the world’s population1. In this essay I will discuss the branding of cities in general and how some host cities used the Games to boost their city/nation branding. Further I will give a short introduction on the city of Amsterdam and it’s branding campaign to finish with its ambition to organize the Olympic Games in 2028 and how Amsterdam should brand itself as a candidate city. City marketing According to Kotler, Haider and Rein marketing of places has become a leading economic activity and, in some, cases the dominant generator of local wealth. They mention the city of Atlanta after organizing the Olympic Games in 1996, the value to the city, its business, and its citizens is estimated at more than $ 3 billion. For a long time economic development has been the priority of cities and nations. Just two decades ago a few cities moved their main view of economic development to new strategies to attract business, develop new trade markets and to attract tourism2. Cities have transformed their economic campaigns into marketing strategies with the goal to build competitive markets, targeting specific buyers, and positioning the community’s recourses to respond to specialized buyer needs and desires. City marketing is a process with a wide set of activities to attract visitors, residents and business. City marketing is a long-‐term process that cannot be implemented in parts or only to an extent. The first step is to analyze the city’s current situation through research and the on the city’s assets, opportunities and audiences3. The second step is identifying and choosing a certain vision for the city and the goals that should be accomplished with the support and cooperation of as many
1 Nielsen. Beijing Olympics Draw Largest Ever Global TV Audience. Retrieved 18-08-2012. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/press_release3.pdf 2 Kotler, P. Haider, D. Rein, I. Marketing places. Attracting Investment, Industry, and Tourism to Cities, States and Nations. New York: The Free Press (2002) 3 Kavaratis, M. (2008) From City Marketing to City Branding An Interdisciplinary Analysis with Reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands.
stakeholders as possible. The next step is the phase of planning the projects that will achieve the goals and allocating clear roles for the participating bodies. The last phase is the implementation. The process of city marketing ends with an evaluation. The first steps in the development of city marketing were promotional activities by independent actors to promote the city. In the next phase the marketing mix was used, so besides promotional activities, organizational measures, financial incentives and measures aimed at product development were included. Later the image of the city was distinct in two senses; the image of the city is the crucial and determining factor and the image of the city and the attempt to influence it could well be an effective way to coordinate marketing efforts. These senses have developed the new concept of city marketing: city branding. Kavaratis suggests that city branding is the new episode in the application of city marketing. Branding changes the focus on the endeavour and is attempting to create associations with the city. The associations can be emotional, mental, psychological so the non-‐functional characters of marketing interventions. However the rational behind city branding is that the city first hast to decide what kind of brand it wants to become. The most common application in city branding is the visual elements of branding. There is a main focus on the creation of a new logo, the incorporation of a new slogan and the design of advertising campaigns around those visual elements. Mommaas4 states that brands are not a source of differentiation but also of identification, continuity and collectivity and that is why city marketing is capable of addressing, the goals can be used for and the unplanned effect it may have on the city.
4 Kavaratis, M. (2008) From City Marketing to City Branding An Interdisciplinary Analysis with Reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands.
The Olympic Games and the brand image of host cities The honor to be the host city of the Olympic Games is regarded as the ultimate sports prize and many cities use the Games to showcase their city. Cities actively compete for recognition and status, the prestige of organizing the Olympic Games and the sustained attention that they attract provides opportunities to make a statement on the world stage.5 Even bidding for the Games show that a city is ambitious for global attention. Capturing the Games allow authorities of the municipalities to undertake long-‐term activities with the aim to boost or alter the image of the city. According to Barney cities have three underlying motivational factors for the hosting the Olympic Games: the “P” triad6: publicity, profit and pride. China wanted to host the Games in 2008 to use the value of the Games to increase its image as a mature economic player with strong capabilities in quality production7 and to be seen as a fully respectable world citizen. The city branding of Barcelona became a success story because of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. The Games were a huge branding boost that turned Barcelona into a top touristic destination and an entrepreneurial city. The Olympic Games helped to completely re-‐imagine Barcelona and present it on the international scene as a modern capital, creative, innovative, welcoming, daring, cosmopolitan, initiative-‐taking, with its own style, and as a city with an excellent quality of life8. By hosting the 2012 Games, London created a new metropolitan district in the East and the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, positioned his city as “the best big city in the world with the world’s leading business centre”9. The city Amsterdam
5 Gold, J. Gold, M. Olympic cities: Regeneration, city rebranding an changing urban agendas. Geography Compass 2/1 (2008): 300-318. 6 Barney, R. Some thoughts on the general economics of cities/states/provinces after hosting the Olympic Games. Retrieved on 19-08-2012: http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/ISOR/isor2008t.pdf 7 Heslop, L. Nadeau, J. O’Reilly, N. China and the Olympics: views of insiders and outsiders. International Marketing Review. Vol. 27 No. 4, 2010 pp. 404-433 8 Mipim worldblog. How sports events can help to brand and position a city for investment. Retrieved on 20-08-2012: http://blog.mipimworld.com/2012/03/a-new-type-of-sports-brand-juan-carlos-belloso-founder-futureplacesbarcelona/#.UDOXw9BNu40 9 London.gov.uk. Making London the best big city in the world – Mayor publishes new London Plan. Retrieved 19-08-2012: http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/making-london-best-big-city-world-%E2%80%93-mayorpublishes-new-london-plan
Amsterdam is the biggest city in the Netherlands with a long trade tradition and a strong reputation for culture and innovation. Amsterdam is well-‐known as a tourist destination because of the urban design of the early modern period and the current popular image of sexual liberalism and the tolerance approach on soft drugs10. According to Westerbeek11, Amsterdam has sometimes failed to position itself as an attractive and leading international city. But Amsterdam is on its way to recover its international status it enjoyed in the seventeenth century. Of course it is not possible for Amsterdam to get the central position in world trade like it had in the seventeenth century but bidding for the 2028 Olympic Games might be a part of a larger repositioning movement to create a legacy for the city and its citizens. In the thirteenth century Amsterdam was a small fishing village, build on a dam in the Amstel river.12. The founders of Amsterdam were free spirited, entrepreneurial and creative people, fighting against water and at the same time using the vulnerable place to make money. At the end of the sixteenth century the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands was competing with fleets from Portugal, Spain and England, so the Republic united the competing trading companies in order to take advantage of the resources in the Far East, now known as Indonesia. The establishment of the United East India Company in 1602 was the worlds first limited consolidated company. No other trading company was allowed to trade in the East. Amsterdam became the headquarters of the company with Batavia, current day Jakarta13. The establishment of the United East India Company was the start of the Dutch Golden Age (1585-‐1672). The Golden Age was a period of unprecedented prosperity. In the Golden Age Amsterdam was the centre of the world and underwent great urban expansions, like the famous canals. Many of the buildings from the seventeenth century in the centre can still be seen today. Besides the economic growth the art scene was flourishing as well. The number of artists grew and there was a huge increase of art and art
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Kavaratis, M. (2008) From City Marketing to City Branding An Interdisciplinary Analysis with Reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands. Westerbeek, H. The Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1928 and 2. 028: will city heritage inform legacy intent? Sport in Society. Vol. 12, No. 6, 776-291. 12 Iamsterdam.com History & Society. Retrieved 18-08-2012 http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-GB/experience/about-amsterdam/history-and-society 13 Westerbeek, H. The Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1928 and 2028: will city heritage inform legacy intent? Sport in Society. Vol. 12, No. 6, 776-291. 11
dealers in the city. In only thirty years Van Rijn, Vermeer and Steen left a great art legacy14. After attacks from France and England in 1672 the Golden Age ended but Amsterdam remained to be a world-‐leading city for another century. City Marketing of Amsterdam Since the competitive position of Amsterdam is under pressure, a communications agency was hired by Amsterdam for a benchmark study that compared city marketing in Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin and Amsterdam’s Dutch rival Rotterdam. The conclusion of this study was that Amsterdam had to intensify its marketing efforts, had to chose specific sectors, priorities actions and that branding could be a powerful tool15. Based on the conclusions Amsterdam decided to develop a main vision for the future, a creation of a new brand and the establishment of a public or private platform that would develop and manage the brand. Afterwards the current image and the target image were discussed. Amsterdam chose to differ itself by the combination of three core values; creativity, innovation and the spirit of commerce in which the brand of Amsterdam should be based. It became clear that the association with prostitution and soft drugs was not eligible. Therefore Amsterdam Partners was established in 2004 as a platform for government, industry and organizations with marketing and promotional objectives. The goal of Amsterdam Partners is to promote and improve the image of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area on an international level. Another important motive for a new city marketing approach was that the main international image of Amsterdam was related with the liberal prostitution and soft drugs law. Amsterdam wanted to attract more types of tourist instead of young tourist to visit the Red Light District and the coffeeshops. Amsterdam Partners gave Amsterdam a new Unique Selling Point: Amsterdam is famous for its combination of creativity, innovation and commercial spirit. This is a clear example of city marketing
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Iamsterdam.com History & Society. Retrieved 18-08-2012 http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-GB/experience/about-amsterdam/history-and-society 15 Kavaratis, M. (2008) From City Marketing to City Branding An Interdisciplinary Analysis with Reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands.
being used to change the image of cities and this is the reason for the acceleration of the use of city branding; the increasingly popular content of re-‐imaging or re-‐branding cities16. To promote Amsterdam a new city marketing campaign was launched in September 2004: “I Amsterdam”. ‘I amsterdam is the motto that creates the brand for the city and people of Amsterdam. In saying or expressing I amsterdam, we demonstrate a clear choice for the city of Amsterdam. I amsterdam shows our pride, our confidence and our dedication. I amsterdam is our personal endorsement for our city. Using I amsterdam, we can show clearly and proudly all the many benefits, opportunities and dimensions of excellence that make Amsterdam our city of choice.’ (www.iamsterdam.com) The I Amsterdam campaign seems to be successful because in 201017 Amsterdam was Europe’s fastest growing tourist destination and Amsterdam climbed to the fourth place of best European cities to do business18. The Netherlands, Amsterdam & the Olympic Dream In 1928 the Olympic Games were held for the first time in the Netherlands in Amsterdam, but it had bid unsuccessfully twice before in 1920 and 1924. In the 1980’s Amsterdam was again a candidate city for the Games of 1992. In 1984 the president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, invited some National Olympic Committees to consider a bid for the Olympic Games of 199219. Samaranch asked the Dutch Olympic Committee to come up with a candidate city. The choice was made for Amsterdam because all the facilities could be concentrated within a radius
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Kavaratis, M. (2008) From City Marketing to City Branding An Interdisciplinary Analysis with Reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands. 17 I Amsterdam. Amsterdam Europe's fastest growing tourist destination in 2010. Retrieved on 16-08-2012: http://www.iamsterdam.com/Amsterdam%20Europes%20fastest%20growing%20tourist%20destination%20in%202010 18 I Amsterdam. Amsterdam climbs to top five of best European cities to do business. Retrieved on 16-08-2012: http://www.iamsterdam.com/europe%20cities%20monitor 19 Andere tijden. De Vlam in Amsterdam. Retrieved on 19-08-2012 http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/andere-tijden/afleveringen/2008-2009/De-vlam-in-Amsterdam.html
of four kilometers and the tourist reputation was important as well. According to the mayor of Amsterdam, Ed van Thijn, Amsterdam had the best bid book of all the candidate cities “the formula of the compact Games, all the venues within a radius of four kilometers, must make a good impression”. The candidature of Amsterdam ended, due to a strong anti-‐Olympics campaign in the Netherlands, in a disaster because Amsterdam got only five of the 85 votes. The ultimate Dutch Olympic ambition is to host the Olympic Games, hundred years after they were held in 1928 in Amsterdam. The goals of these ambitions have been set down in “The Netherlands’ 2028 Olympic Plan”. The Olympic Plan 2028 represents an ambition, which should contribute to positive developments in current and future important themes and affairs20. The plan revolves the following eight ambitions: elite sports, sports for all, social welfare, health, economics, community planning, organization of events and media attention for sports. The plan is widely supported by the government, social partners, social institutions, sport federations and by the largest city municipalities. In response of the Olympic plan, the central government has defined five ambitions21 and two of those ambitions are related to branding: putting the Netherlands on the map and in the spotlight. In the past years the Netherlands have organized some major sporting events and in the future there are many international sporting events coming up. In 2000 the Netherlands, in collaboration with Belgium, organized the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship. This was the most prestigious event since the Olympic Games in 1928 in Amsterdam. In 2009 the Judo World Championships were held in Rotterdam. In 2010 the two major cycling events had their starts in the Netherlands: the Grand Depart of the Tour de France started in Rotterdam and Amsterdam was the host of the start of the 93rd edition of the Giro d’Italia. In 2013 Utrecht will host the European Youth Olympic Games. In 2014 The Hague will organize the FIH Hockey World Cup and in 2016 Amsterdam hosts the European
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NOC*NSF. Olympic Plan 2028 Retrieved on 20-08-2012 http://www.nocnsf.nl/cms/showpage.aspx?id=1800 21 Government of the Netherlands. Olympic Games 2028. Retrieved on 4-01-2011 http://www.government.nl/issues/olympic-games-2028/ambitions
Athletic Championships. Many international major speed skating world cups have been organized in the Netherlands. The government of the Netherlands wants to put the Netherlands in the spotlights abroad with major sporting events and the Olympic ambitions. In order to host more international sporting events, the project “Holland Moves22 ” was founded. This project was started by the Dutch Olympic Committee, The Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions and the five cities: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rotterdam, the Hague and Utrecht. This project is an example of marketing in order to promote the Netherlands a sports destination abroad and to host more major international sporting events. The branding of Amsterdam as a candidate city for the Olympic Games in 2028 The Netherlands and Amsterdam have fought many battles against water. The Dutch are known for their expertise regarding to water management. Dutch experts are hired to provide advice about drinking water facilities. All over the world, Dutch dredging companies and hydraulic engineers participate in hydraulic projects23. In the future this market will, probably, rise because of the climate changes and the rising sea levels. A quarter of the Netherlands is under sea level and even entire suburbs are built on water. The economic importance of the water industry in the Netherlands is estimated around 7,5 billion Euros’ a year24. The International Olympic Committee feels the pressure from Non Governmental Organizations and key interest groups to organize sustainable Olympic Games. Water management could be a Unique Selling Point in the Amsterdam 2028 bid. Amsterdam can show it’s creativity, innovation and
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Holland Moves. Sports destination Holland. Retrieved on 19-08-2012 http://www.holland.com/global/Holland-Moves/Sports-destination-Holland.htm 23 Holland. Netherlands waterland Retrieved 20-08-2012 http://www.holland.com/us/press/article/netherlands-waterland.htm 24 The Floating Games. The Floating Games 2028 Retrieved 19-08-2012 http://www.thefloatinggames.com/wp-content/TheFloatingGames.pdf
commercial spirit in water, the Games can be a showcase of Dutch innovations in water. There already have been many creative and futuristic ideas for the Games in 2028, one of the most unique proposals is the Floating Games25. Hosting the Games requires enormous investments with a return on investment. The Games must be compact and located in the heart of the city so a great relationship between the Games, the city, the citizens and the fans can develop. Since Amsterdam and the Netherlands will have to invest in infrastructure and new accommodations and venues, it would be better to build venues and accommodations with a temporary character. A floating Olympic Park can be build on the IJ, a lake in Amsterdam, and after the Games the stadiums can be recycled or used elsewhere in the world and cruise ships can function as hotels. By building floating and movable accommodations for the Games the investment is not made in stone, but in sporting experience. For Amsterdam, this concept offers three major advantages: no lengthy construction nuisance, no traffic jams during the Games because the transport is on water and a strong focus on a new cosmopolitan center location around the IJ, the place where Amsterdam created an important part of its future26. Sports on water, like sailing, rowing, surfing, swimming and ice skating have brought the Netherlands many Olympic medals so organizing the Games on water is a unique but a logic chance as well since it brings the best of the Dutch together. Conclusion Hosting the Olympic Games is regarded as the ultimate sports prize and many cities use the Games to showcase their city. Cities actively compete for recognition and status, the prestige of organizing the Olympic Games and the sustained attention that they attract provides opportunities to make a
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Stadhouder, B. (2010) Sustainable Olympic Games. University of Tilburg The Floating Games. Amsterdam 2028 Retrieved on 19-08-2012 http://www.thefloatinggames.com/wp-content/Amsterdam2028.pdf
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statement on the world stage.27 Capturing the Games allow authorities of the municipalities to undertake long-‐term activities with the aim to boost or alter the image of the city. The ultimate Dutch Olympic ambition is to host the Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 2028, hundred years after they were held in Amsterdam in 1928. Amsterdam is famous for its combination of creativity, innovation and commercial spirit. The Dutch are known for their expertise regarding to water management and in the future this market will probably rise because of the climate changes and the rising sea levels. Therefore water management could be a Unique Selling Point in the Amsterdam 2028 bid. Amsterdam can show it’s creativity, innovation and commercial spirit in water, the Games can be a showcase of Dutch water innovations. By organizing a sustainable Olympic Games, without leaving a herd of white elephants, could increase the possibility of being chosen by the International Olympic Committee in 2016 to host the Olympic Games in 2028. Hosting the Games will be a unique chance for Amsterdam to show its creativity, innovation and commercial spirit. The Games will give the city a great boost to recover its international status it enjoyed in the seventeenth century. Although it is not possible for Amsterdam to get the central position in world trade like it had in the seventeenth century, bidding for the 2028 Olympic Games might be a part of a larger repositioning movement to create a legacy for the city and its citizens28.
27 Gold, J. Gold, M. Olympic cities: Regeneration, city rebranding an changing urban agendas. Geography Compass 2/1 (2008): 300-318. 28 Westerbeek, H. The Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1928 and 2028: will city heritage inform legacy intent? Sport in Society. Vol. 12, No. 6, 776-291.
References Andere tijden. De Vlam in Amsterdam. Retrieved on 19-‐08-‐2012 http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/andere-‐tijden/afleveringen/2008-‐2009/De-‐vlam-‐in-‐Amsterdam.html Barney, R. Some thoughts on the general economics of cities/states/provinces after hosting the Olympic Games. Retrieved on 19-‐08-‐2012: http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/ISOR/isor2008t.pdf Gold, J. Gold, M. Olympic cities: Regeneration, city rebranding an changing urban agendas. Geography Compass 2/1 (2008): 300-‐318. Government of the Netherlands. Olympic Games 2028. Retrieved on 4-‐01-‐2011 http://www.government.nl/issues/olympic-‐games-‐2028/ambitions Heslop, L. Nadeau, J. O’Reilly, N. China and the Olympics: views of insiders and outsiders. International Marketing Review. Vol. 27 No. 4, (2010) pp. 404-‐433 Holland. Netherlands waterland Retrieved 20-‐08-‐2012 http://www.holland.com/us/press/article/netherlands-‐waterland.htm Holland Moves. Sports destination Holland. Retrieved on 19-‐08-‐2012 http://www.holland.com/global/Holland-‐Moves/Sports-‐destination-‐Holland.htm Iamsterdam.com History & Society. Retrieved 18-‐08-‐2012 http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-‐GB/experience/about-‐amsterdam/history-‐and-‐society Iamsterdam.com History & Society. Retrieved 18-‐08-‐2012 http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-‐GB/experience/about-‐amsterdam/history-‐and-‐society I Amsterdam. Amsterdam Europe's fastest growing tourist destination in 2010. Retrieved on 16-‐08-‐2012: http://www.iamsterdam.com/Amsterdam%20Europes%20fastest%20growing%20tourist%20destinat ion%20in%202010 I Amsterdam. Amsterdam climbs to top five of best European cities to do business. Retrieved on 16-‐08-‐2012: http://www.iamsterdam.com/europe%20cities%20monitor Kavaratis, M. (2008) From City Marketing to City Branding An Interdisciplinary Analysis with Reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands.
Kotler, P. Haider, D. Rein, I. Marketing places. Attracting Investment, Industry, and Tourism to Cities, States and Nations. New York: The Free Press (2002) London.gov.uk. Making London the best big city in the world – Mayor publishes new London Plan. Retrieved 19-‐08-‐2012: http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/making-‐london-‐best-‐big-‐city-‐world-‐ %E2%80%93-‐mayor-‐publishes-‐new-‐london-‐plan Mipim worldblog. How sports events can help to brand and position a city for investment. Retrieved on 20-‐08-‐2012: http://blog.mipimworld.com/2012/03/a-‐new-‐type-‐of-‐sports-‐brand-‐juan-‐carlos-‐belloso-‐founder-‐ futureplaces-‐barcelona/#.UDOXw9BNu40 Nielsen. Beijing Olympics Draw Largest Ever Global TV Audience. Retrieved 18-‐08-‐2012. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-‐content/uploads/2008/09/press_release3.pdf NOC*NSF. Olympic Plan 2028 Retrieved on 20-‐08-‐2012 http://www.nocnsf.nl/cms/showpage.aspx?id=1800 Stadhouder, B. (2010) Sustainable Olympic Games. University of Tilburg The Floating Games. Amsterdam 2028 Retrieved on 19-‐08-‐2012 http://www.thefloatinggames.com/wp-‐content/Amsterdam2028.pdf The Floating Games. The Floating Games 2028 Retrieved 19-‐08-‐2012 http://www.thefloatinggames.com/wp-‐content/TheFloatingGames.pdf Westerbeek, H. The Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1928 and 2. 028: will city heritage inform legacy intent? Sport in Society. Vol. 12, No. 6, 776-‐291.