ROYANN DEAN Expanding the Bahamian Story through a Creative Economy By Thea Rutherford Guardian National Correspondent Originally published on April 18th, 2011 The Nassau Guardian Page L3, National Review Section
Marketing Consultant Royann Dean is interested in stories. Brand Stories. Development Stories. She sees them in everything from clothing tags to architecture. And in the stories themselves Dean sees the ways in which their purveyors and participants perceive their realities. “We don’t realize how much of ourselves we communicate through the brands that we use, and how we perceive brands, and other people perceive us as a result of that,” said Dean.
Since returning home from studying abroad last year, Dean has become particularly interested in certain aspects of the “Bahamian Story.” As new developments unpack themselves within the landscape, re-making older structures or creating entirely new ones, Dean wonders what impact they will have in the minds of those who live with them. Her own studies have shown her that there will inevitably be an impact. As a graduate student at University of The Arts London, Dean researched the non-verbal ways in which brands communicate their messages to consumers. She chose the women’s clothing and home décor brand Anthropologie as her subject, asking a diverse group of individuals to interpret the brand based on its simple typeface logo. “They all got the same message from the store and that just goes to show you what storytelling does.” It sort of makes things make sense without communicating it directly, so that it makes sense to different people in different ways but you understand the narrative; you understand the underlying context of what the brand is trying to say”, said Dean, 34, who graduated last year with a Master’s with distinction in Design Management. Inspired by her research, Dean returned to The Bahamas eager to share what she had learned and to add to the exiting dialogue on The Bahamian story. She held her first talk on storytelling with filmmaker Kareem Mortimer at The Hub, the gallery and community space on East Bay Street. Audience comments on some local interpretations of developments like the new airport led to a series of talks Dean now hosts through her marketing consulting company, tmg* (the method group). The first tmg* talk, held last Thursday at The Hub, focused on the Bahamian Story and all of its threads. The panel included writer and scholar Patricia Glinton Meicholas, Ministry of Tourism sports tourism director Tyrone Sawyer and artist and filmmaker Bernard Petit. The talk combined the topics of culture, the impact and perception of tourism and the immigrant experience for a thought-provoking introduction to the series. The
remaining talks will be held at The Hub on May 12 (“Architecture and Urban Design”) and June 16 (“The Creative Economy”). Dean hopes to add planks to the construction of the bridge between art and design in the local environment through the talks. The notion is one that has already taken root with recent exhibitions centered on design and heightened discussion about design in the arts community. “I feel like we really need to have a different perspective on how we see design and creativity as…as way to grow or diversify the economy,” she said. Developments such as the new airport, the sports center and Clifton Heritage, Dean feels, incorporate particular designs that will shape internal as well as external perceptions and expectations of the country. “It’s a distinct experience we’re experiencing in The Bahamas and that’s how you add to the economy. This is the way that we can really distinguish ourselves as a brand to the world if you have this sort of creative economy.” Dean’s interest in branding comes from a recognised marketing career that began after her studies at The College of The Bahamas and the University of Georgia. She completed an internship at Spin Magazine and worked at an educational marketing/ad agency in New York before returning home to work at Burns House. At Burns House Dean became brand manager for Heineken. She was the first Bahamian brand manager at Burns House to work for Heineken International. Dean received a posting in Curacao. Sean Moore, a colleague and friend who met Dean in the late 90’s describes her as someone who thinks outside the box. “That was a testament to her drive, her ambition, the recognition that she received from the Heineken network,” said Moore, a former export manager for Commonwealth Brewery. The tmg* talks, he said, are another example of Dean’s fresh perspective on branding. “She’s changing the discussion,” he said. “I don’t know of anybody else who’s been involved in branding who’s brought the level of discussion she’s bringing to it with these talks.” Comfortable in the worlds of both marketing and design, Dean sees herself as a mediator equipped to contribute to the further development of a local creative economy. Since forming tmg* around 2004, she has deepened her knowledge of marketing strategy and design. “Most people who work in marketing understand a little bit about design because you have to sometimes write creative briefs for agencies and you have to understand the business aspect because you have to justify the money that you’re spending. I’ve been on both sides. I’ve been on the agency side and on the client side,” she said. Her latest efforts take her into the sphere of national development. And Dean sees no better time than the present to emphasize the power of the creative economy and all of its components. “I think it’s a good time to have these talks now because things are happening and there are people who are interested in having this discussion now,” she said. “The whole idea is to bring together business and design because a lot of times we see them as something separate, but when they do work together they work together well.”