India, February 18, 2015: Dutch multidisciplinary agency Fabrique, part of the Brand Dialogue group (a consortium of top Dutch branding and design agencies) has associated itself with the branding for Agra, in cooperation with the Design Factory.
City branding comes naturally to Brand Dialogue being closely associated with the famous ‘I Amsterdam’, which stands as an example of the marvel of city branding. The question for the need of location branding lies in subliminal sensory and emotional cues one picks up while visiting a place. If Prague or Vienna are memorable for their architecture, New York has a strong always-on-the-move vibe! Paris is about romance and London has old world charming fusing seamlessly with modern technology. Every city has a character that adds to its brand value.
Talking about this proud association, Jeroen Van Erp, Co-founder & Creative Director Fabrique said, “With the experience we have had at our homeground Amsterdam we are glad to have the chance to utilize the knowledge and experience of location branding in Agra. Through ‘I Amsterdam’, the objective was to leverage the image of Amsterdam as a commercial center and an oasis for creative talent. It united citizens with the idea that the city embodies and reflected their pride in being residents of Amsterdam. For Agra we have significantly highlighted the identity of its first and last letter, ‘A’, the A is symmetrical like a lot of cultural heritage in Agra. Agra is simple by nature and strong in it’s appearance, that is what we want to achieve with the visual language for the brand Agra.”
“Home to India’s pride and one of the most beautiful wonders of the world; Taj Mahal, Agra will be branded as a perfect destination for tourists and business. Agra is a romantic, mysterious and a futuristic city with the Taj being the symbol of its existence, branding for the city will redefine its existence and it is to watch out for,” added Jeroen.
Speaking about this achievement of Brand Dialogue, Willem Woudenberg, Founder & CEO, Brand Dialogue, said, “With the government’s keen involvement, India is successfully progressing towards innovation and development. UP government is taking all measures to promote the city’s tourism and we are glad that they have selected our team as partner for branding for Agra.”
The design proposals were presented last Saturday during a special event in Agra organised by the UP government for Meragra branding in the presence of the honourable chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav.
‘Make in India’ is an important initiative by the central government, where the tourism industry explicitly plays a crucial role. Land of Gujarat has managed to become a great brand because they highlighted the ease of doing business in the state and communicated that idea by holding international business summits. As a brand Goa is all about the easy charm of a destination ideal for a lazy vacation.
Similarly Mumbai is a thriving metropolis where dreams of hardworking people come true. These brands work because of the experience associated with them. Compare this to Bengal that has been promoting its brand through a hastily cut montage of its tourist destinations and an alliterative name, Beautiful Bengal.
Experts believe that the niche field of location branding is becoming increasingly relevant, especially for places that are either relatively new and want to attract travelers or states and provinces that want to attract business or investments. India has been trying to woo both tourists as well as businesses from across the world and has made a small but significant foray into the world of location branding. With Agra added to the list, India is all prepared to create history in the field of location branding.