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I think the point Shakeesha is attempting to make is that Richmond doesn't have a brand. There is no disputing Nashville's brand because it is world renowned. Does that automatically make Nashville the better city? No. However, it does invoke an image in the mind's eye whereas Richmond doesn't.
I think Richmond's brand is related to its history. It's not more evocative than Nashville's though.
I think Richmond's brand is related to its history. It's not more evocative than Nashville's though.
Richmond has a storybook history but I wouldn't consider it to be a brand. New Orleans, Boston, Philadelphia and a host of other cities have just as much history, if not more, yet they have all brand or at the very least a well known nickname. Mention 'music city' and Nashville pops up in my mind, but for the life of me I can't think of a single phrase that conjures up images of Richmond. Richmond isn't city that suffers from an ambiguous brand. Charlotte has a similar dilemma. If you say, the Big Apple, Sin City, The Big Easy, Motor City, The Windy City, Beantown or Tinsel town, most people immediately identify it with a particular city.
Richmond has a storybook history but I wouldn't consider it to be a brand. New Orleans, Boston, Philadelphia and a host of other cities have just as much history, if not more, yet they have all brand or at the very least a well known nickname. Mention 'music city' and Nashville pops up in my mind, but for the life of me I can't think of a single phrase that conjures up images of Richmond. Richmond isn't city that suffers from an ambiguous brand. Charlotte has a similar dilemma. If you say, the Big Apple, Sin City, The Big Easy, Motor City, The Windy City, Beantown or Tinsel town, most people immediately identify it with a particular city.
That's a fair point. I think Charleston and Savannah do better with making history a part of their brands than Richmond. And you're right that Richmond isn't the only city with an ambiguous brand; Houston probably comes to mind first and foremost, as well as a couple of other cities like Sacramento, Jacksonville, Tampa, etc.
The Richmond brand is evolving around food, the arts and an excellent quality of life. I guess finding a word or phrase for that brand is not so easy?
The Civil War is not the brand we want to grow. Yes it was a big part of the history as was tobacco and the slave trade but the distance between those negative historical aspects and the Richmond of today is staggering.
Legacy of Richmond = Civil War, Tobacco, Slave Trade, Crime
Present Day Richmond = Food, Arts, Creativity, Quality of Life, Increasing National Accolades
Future of Richmond = More of the Above
Last edited by Poquoson7; 12-07-2015 at 03:08 AM..
The Richmond brand is evolving around food, the arts and an excellent quality of life. I guess finding a word or phrase for that brand is not so easy?
The Civil War is not the brand we want to grow. Yes it was a big part of the history as was tobacco and the slave trade but the distance between those negative historical aspects and the Richmond of today is staggering.
Legacy of Richmond = Civil War, Tobacco, Slave Trade, Crime
Present Day Richmond = Food, Arts, Creativity, Quality of Life, Increasing National Accolades
Future of Richmond = More of the Above
None of those are brands. A brand is an attribute that is unique to that city. Richmond has none which isn't a slam because most cities don't.
None of those are brands. A brand is an attribute that is unique to that city. Richmond has none which isn't a slam because most cities don't.
If Richmond had a brand (by your definition) it would be the level of outdoor recreation it offers. One can kayak Class IV rapids, mountain bike technical singletrack, and rock climb, all within a stones throw of the central business district.
None of those are brands. A brand is an attribute that is unique to that city. Richmond has none which isn't a slam because most cities don't.
Gotta disagree and as you know Richmond has a number of unique attributes. But even as you describe brand as "a unique attribute," it actually sounds like you are instead referring to the nicknames some cities are blessed with as opposed to overall character. It's true some cities have one particular feature or area where they have excelled popularly that evokes an image or phrase. And nicknames like "Frisco," "the Big Apple," "Motown," "Crescent City" or even "Music City" have been romanticized over the years, and having a moniker like that is a powerful brand in itself. But not having such a moniker doesn't mean that you do not have a unique city. They're not mutually exclusive. You may have such a number of great, divergent traits that one nickname has never stuck, which I see as the case with Richmond. From urban white water, Edgar Allan Poe, to the Civil and Revolutionary Wars, and a city which straddles the North and South with elements of both, you've got a lot of different things going on that never gave rise to a preferred nickname. Today the city rolls with a simple, RVA to encompass its character.
Richmond has a good percentage of the workforce in the "creative class." The tech scene is strong and growing, in many ways influenced by location. One of my fav tidbits is that Richmond is home to tumblr's only office outside of NY. But in any case, you can check out some of these short pieces on recent developments:
Richmond. More history that I find interesting and more charm (IMO), along with being closer to the mountains (I prefer Virginia mountains over Tennessee) and the coast (Outer Banks aren't too far). The location of Richmond is great in general, not too far from DC and the Northeast as a whole but still holding a slightly southern flavor.
Nashville reminds me of a less glitzy Charlotte with a country music scene/heritage. No thanks.
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