I am Dunedin is an advertising slogan created for the city of Dunedin in New Zealand by the marketing and communications agency of the Dunedin City Council (DCC). It was first used in the television commercial "Are You Ready for Dunedin life?" After that, several print advertisements and television advertisements were created using the slogan to promote Dunedin's culture and heritage. The Iogo’s background is blue and the slogan is gold. The official website of the City of Dunedin is at the lower right hand side of the logo.
Background
Origin
For two decades, 1980-1999, the City of Dunedin experienced slow population growth, with around 10,000 people “lost” to cities further north in New Zealand or overseas. This included the loss of governmental and corporate head offices and of significant middle management, trade and professional career opportunities.
Therefore, the perception of Dunedin was quite negative. The city council organised a public meeting in which councillors, tertiary and social services, as well as representatives from different communities chose the statement along with all the other statements that were submitted. They unanimously chose “I am Dunedin” as the slogan. The original purpose of the slogan was to change people's perception from negative to positive (mainly people outside of Dunedin). One year later, a public survey conducted by Marketing and Communication Agency showed that most businesses were unable to find skilled workers, which had become a potential threat to Dunedin's economy.
The challenge for the City of Dunedin's marketing campaign was not only to attract skilled and professional workers to the city, but also to do so in an environment where other New Zealand cities had experienced long-term economic growth and where there was a perception of better job and lifestyle opportunities elsewhere. In response to the declining population and concerns about business growth, the DCC's Economic Development Committee developed a strategic plan to achieve economic growth and job creation.
For the next six years, the Marketing and Communication Agency's highest priority is to create a public campaign via a suitable brand statement to meet public's needs and to achieve DCC's overall goal.
History of promoting Dunedin
In the late 1980s, Dunedin earned a reputation for innovative, leading-edge place marketing within New Zealand. The city was the first in the country to develop a comprehensive branding strategy. The It's All Right Here campaign launched in 1988 remained successful until the early 1990s, when it declined due to lack of financial support.
In an effort to revitalise Dunedin's brand image in 1998, the That's the Spirit of Dunedin campaign was conceived and launched. This was an attempt to build on and refresh the original It's All Right Here campaign. An annual budget was committed to the city's promotional strategy and received some positive recognition.
However, lack of consultation in both campaigns meant that rather than basing the campaign on an integrated community approach, an outside agency imposed a solution for Dunedin. There was also concern that Dunedin's brand image had become confused and cluttered by the use of the two positioning statements, neither of which captured the unique essence of Dunedin. There was a need for a new sharp, clear image of Dunedin.
On 26 July 2001, DCC officially launched its new City Branding campaign in Dunedin to 1,000 business and community leaders. The 'I am Dunedin' breaks with the traditional style of presenting the City and elicits passion, emotion, and pride.
Purpose
By launching the "I am Dunedin" campaign, the DCC's purpose is “to encourage changes of perception and to continue the city’s aim to increase business, tourism and population growth.”
Moreover, DCC has been to profile Dunedin positively and to present the City as an attractive place to live, work, do business and be educated. The 'I Am Dunedin campaigns linked directly with the Economic Development strategy with the aim to sustain and increase business growth. The DCC’s marketing department’s assigned focus has been to change negative perceptions of Dunedin and, more recently, to encourage skilled workers and families to move to Dunedin by increasing awareness of employment vacancies in the City.