Time Inc. Atones For Years Of Defaming Detroit With "Rebranding" Contest

Posted by Abe Sauer on November 16, 2009 05:02 PM

It will come as a shock to everyone to hear that someone thinks Detroit needs a rebrand. And by "everyone," we mean "nobody at all."

Time Inc. has kicked off "Selling Detroit," which aims to “attract business and talent" to "America’s most struggling city" by identifying it as a creative mecca for young artists.

In an effort to include the citizens of Detroit in the rebrand, which involves ad agencies that call Detroit home, the publisher is holding a contest. On the CNNMoney, Fortune and Time websites, visitors will be able to vote for their favorite campaign. The winner will be announced in December at the city's D Show awards.

It is, of course, naive to believe that an ad campaign can change the brand, let alone the fortunes, of Detroit. In fact, some of the initial submissions appear downright confused about how to approach the task. The Leo Burnett Agency entry features rock ‘n’ roll star Kid Rock. But Kid Rock’s image is predicated, in part, on being from troubled, hardscrabble Detroit. Hardly a reputation the rebrand would hope to perpetuate.

And then there are the journalists. “The whole idea of the contest is that we believe in the renewal of the city,” said Mark Ford, president of the news group at Time Inc. However, many journalists have spent the last couple decades doing just the opposite – chronicling Detroit's grim conditions for the rest of the world to witness. Writes one local reporter:

"Time magazine sent a 24-year-old guy to Detroit," James Griffioen told me. "They wouldn’t let him rent a car, so he was dropped off in a cab downtown. He’s there for six hours and he’s supposed to write a feature article on Detroit. For Time."

Clearly, the “Selling Detroit” initiative is aimed at those who have Detroit’s best interests at heart. This effort, however, can’t be accomplished by a single ad campaign; like all branding efforts, it must grow from the inside out. Which means local citizens need to sell themselves on the rebrand first. Time magazine will come later, and maybe in a rented car this time.

More about: Rebrand, Detroit, Time, Fortune, CNNMoney, Kid Rock, D Show

Wayne Cerullo says:

Gee, that's swell, but, um, haven't they already shot themselves in the perceptual foot by announcing an effort to help "America’s most struggling city" -- sounds like a pretty strong and credible brand to me!

November 17, 2009 11:19 AM #

Chris DiAlfredi says:

I used to subscribe to Time. I also used to watch CNN. It's a shame that these media outlets feel that it would be beneficial to them to sponsor such an inane contest. This article is absolutely correct in stating that rebranding, .."can’t be accomplished by a single ad campaign; like all branding efforts, it must grow from the inside out.".

Simply by labeling Detroit as, "America’s most struggling city", Time, Inc. has indicated that they, on an editorial level, truly do not believe in reviving Detroit's brand. This is merely a ploy to sell to advertisers and generate interest.

I had family in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. I'm intimately familiar with the image problems that midwestern manufacturing cities currently pose, as I currently live in Cleveland. A rebranding campaign is useless without the complete overhaul of rustbelt ideologies. These cities seem to have a collective depression and victim mentality. "Brain drain" only occurs in these cities because these cities continue to try to solve 21st century problems with 1950's logic. It starts with corrupt local leadership, which discourages new capital investments.

Pittsburgh has demonstrated that it's possible to revitalize a downtrodden city's present and change the course of its future, but we need to accept that it must start from within, like any brand. No ad campaign alone can do this. If Time magazine and its media partners were truly interested in their contest's intended results, they would use their reach to report on the positive opportunities that are emerging in southeast Michigan. But they know that exploiting Detroit's woes will sell more magazines and generate more web traffic.

Chris DiAlfredi
http://www.rubberbrandman.com

November 17, 2009 12:33 PM #