Rebranding of Place
- Processes of change do not happen in a vacuum, they are often driven by policy choices
- Places are chosen specifically to be rebranded based on housing quality, employment opportunities, level of deprivation and access to services
- Stratford was chosen to be the site of the major London regeneration project for the 2012 Olympics as it was a large underused area of brownfield land with a high level of poverty amongst the local population and poor access to public services
Policies of Rebranding
- Policies that manipulate place identity are rebranding and regeneration
- Often, the processes of gentrification and globalisation can be a by-product of these policies
- Rebranding policies that open up an area to free trade will bring the effects of globalisation into the area
- To rebrand the northeast following deindustrialisation the UK government attracted the investment of Japanese car company Nissan in Sunderland
- This example of TNC investment and increasing globalisation as a result of the rebranding policy has significantly affected the character of Sunderland known as ‘the Home of Nissan’ and employing 6000 people
- These policies are often led by a theme such as culture, art, industry, or sport
- Art-led rebranding was part of the reimaging of Margate
- A seaside town in decline on the south coast of Kent
- Transformed into a hip centre for art culture following the opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery in 2011
- The town is now a node for artists and art-related enterprises
- The Olympics or sport world cups often provide an opportunity for sport-led rebranding and regeneration as they bring large amounts of investment
- London’s huge regeneration project in Stratford began with the 2012 London Olympics
- Stratford continues to be regenerated in the 2020s and its image has changed dramatically
- Stratford now has the huge Olympic stadium, home to West Ham football club, and the copper box basketball venue
- It will also soon have a satellite site of the V&A museum as well as many recreation and leisure facilities
- This image is very different from the deprived post-industrial one it had before 2012
Exam Tip
It is important that you have an argument prepared, using a case study, of whether rebranding and regeneration have been successful. A recommended argument is that rebranding cannot be successful without regeneration as building and development are needed to really change the character of a place more than a media campaign.