Gqeberha fails to build on previous rebranding efforts
In 2000 I had the privilege of coordinating and managing the Nelson Mandela Metro’s marketing and branding initiative. This process followed the amalgamation of the erstwhile municipalities of Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch into the very first metropolitan municipality of the Eastern Cape.
Realising what impact the introduction of a new name would have on the economies of the three towns, amongst other considerations, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality, supported by local business and communities embarked on a rigorous trust-building marketing and branding process to reposition the Metro as the preferred destination of choice for doing business, foreign direct investment (FDI) and tourism.
This decision was taken to also strengthen social and economic cohesion in the Metro by rallying both business and communities behind a single economic development vision that took full advantage of the Metro’s rich cultural heritage, a thriving auto/manufacturing sector and our unique association with Madiba’s iconic name. The outcome was a unique brand that local businesses and communities were not just proud to embrace, but have over the last twenty-one years gladly taken all over the world.
That was 2000. Fast-track to 2021. Imagine, retrospectively, what has been the real opportunity cost of investing in the NMB brand over the years. Imagine the significant government and business resources invested over the last 21 years to build continental and international awareness and trust in the NMB brand.
Imagine, the many businesses that had to rebrand and scale-up to take advantage of the new NMB brand. Imagine the level of effort that went into rallying local and international tour operators, trade and investment agencies behind the Nelson Mandela Bay brand – all in an effort to increase our share of tourism and FDI.
Imagine the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Port Elizabeth and what long-term benefits this is yet to produce for Nelson Mandela Bay in terms of brand awareness and trust. Now imagine having to scrap all this on the basis of a largely unjustifiable name change that will see Port Elizabeth become Gqeberha.
These are the simple thoughts that have over taken me soon after the recent announcement by the Minister of Arts and Culture to rename Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha. Changing Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha is like taking this Metro and its people back, by 21 years.
The only difference is that at the time of introducing the Nelson Mandela Bay brand, our economy was growing faster than most African economies and our national debt was far below than what it is at the moment. The conditions were close to perfect, as a result introducing the new brand name had more positive spinoffs for our local businesses and communities. It is therefore no surprise that many have in the last few hours taken to social media to express their anger and dismay to this decision to change Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha.
It goes without saying that given the right environment and timing, changing names of places and heritage sites to reflect the country’s rich history and demographics, can act as a catalyst to advance democracy, social cohesion, economic inclusion as well as bolster geo-political stability.
It is also true that implemented correctly - in a measured and considered way - changing name places can stimulate tourism and other related sectors, even a sluggish economy. However, it remains unclear how changing Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha, or changing East London to Gompo would meaningfully help locals find new jobs or start new businesses, especially in an environment where many are suffering and are in need of urgent and meaningful livelihood support.
For these and other reasons I remain unconvinced if at all there was sufficient effort given by those presiding over the name changes to understand what the real cost to local jobs, business and tourism such name changes would have on the NMB and Buffalo City economies.
I wonder if any real considerations were made to also verify what positive impact if any, such a decision would have on government resources, especially as more and more resources are required to implement massive social relief and infrastructure rollout programmes to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our communities and businesses.
All said and done, the ball is now with the affected municipalities and their business counterparts to either accept these name changes with a pinch of salt, or to unify and oppose or defer the name changes until such time our economy has fully recovered from the devastating COVID impact.
Thabo Selai is a development economist and CEO of the ThreeSixty Group
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