New slogan ”Berlin bleibt anders”
One loves or hates Berlin – we love Berlin!
Between April 2018 and March 2019 the chancellery of the Berlin senate was searching for the true identity of the capital city and asked the opinion of 2.500 people in that context.
The purely fictional brand ”Berlin bleibt anders” acts as orientation guide and defines a feeling or sensation of the city. The city and location marketing concentrates on an image improvement for communal facilities. Former Berlin campaigns such as ”Stadt der Chancen” [city of chances] (formally ”Berlin bietet Chancen” [Berlin offers chances] from 1973) or ”Freiheit Berlin” [Freedom Berlin] where already positioned in that direction.
Survey on Berlin‘s new brand
People from different fields such as culture, sport, economy, science as well as people from the street where asked about the development and identity of the new brand.
In result Berlin fascinates, attracts, repels, overpowers, scares and does not let go.
Some quotes from the survey (source: chancellery of the Berlin senate)
”Berlin is like it‘s own world.”
”Berlin teaches fantasy – the opportunity to create something new (…)”
”(…) anyone can be a Berliner. Ich bin auch ein Berliner.”
”A city on the edge, like Amsterdam.”
”Berlin is over”
”Capital of Cool”
Why Berlin stays different
We have discussed the survey in our collective and have reflected on the causes.
We live in Berlin, we neither feel repelled nor unsafe and we do not fear the big city. In comparison with other major cities, we feel it is one of the safest in the world. The personal experience does play a major role here, but can also differ considerably depending on the city district.
Our work in the creative sector requires openness, interest in changes and the new. The growth of the city, through international influences, offers in the long term chances for development. The monocultural forms of society that used to prevail in some districts are obsolete in an age of globalization. To ”stay different” is nowadays very important for a major city like Berlin, but also difficult to implement.
Globalization means permanent adaptation
The unique feature of the enclosed city is past. Berlin is currently adapting more and more to international cities such as London or Paris. That begs the question in what way the city ”stays different” as the slogan claims, while it tries at the same time to permanently adjust.
The last city slogan, the English language ”be Berlin”, was created in 2008 and communicated very successfully. The new identity ”Berlin bleibt anders” will replace it and depict Berlin as innovative, young and multicultural. This is surely accomplish with the new slogan.
Conclusion
As long as Berlin keeps its unique space for everyone and enough free space for individual self-fulfillment we agree with the new Slogan ”Berlin bleibt anders” and the new concept of the senate will work as long as the people here in Berlin keep their affection for openness.
People illustration from Berlin
In the context of the ”vector.town” project we have pictured 100 people from Berlin and combined them in a series. We offer those in our online-shop as digital PDF and EPS files and underscore in that way the declaration that Berlin is and always will be different. (see illustration ”Full Edition People Berlin”)
Source (in german language):
Artikel auf berlin.de über Hauptstadt-Marketing, Neuer Slogan Berlin bleibt anders
