BRANDING AGAIN
[EDIT: Eijsden, November 28] The Maastricht Tourist Authority held its annual presentation and networking event at Hotel Maastricht (Crowne Plaza), where those interested were regaled with stories of the city’s success. A really big success was that of the Royal Mosa brand, which now has a link with Nike - which some people seem to forget has two syllables. Another success for the Maastricht brand is the start of a new TGV service, which will mean Brussels in an hour and a quarter. The corresponding times to London and Paris will also be reduced. There is however a catch to this. To retain the service, Maastricht will have to double the number of passengers carried daily on the line from around 750 to 1,500, which means the branding of Maastricht is going to be more important than ever. Many people are getting their heads together to discuss this topic. One way of looking at it is to see Maastricht, which is already a world brand, as representing Europe in a microcosm. This Europe is of course the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion: with its gastronomy, its Chateaux, its meeting place of cultures and languages - everything that people think Europe is and you don’t get in London or Paris. In this connection, rather than listen to worthy gentlemen intone solemnly to an audience that may not be listening, it might be worthwhile to get hold of a branding expert. Later on in these pages, one such gentleman presents his new web site (Europafilms). This may be a more sensible approach, than choosing the letters BM as a logo (Look up the acronym!). Give it a thought and do it in English.
At a time, when we are already enjoying the Winter Festival at Burcht Hergenrath; on the Vrijthof in Maastricht; or the Liège Christmas Market, with plenty of Champagne and Foie Gras; or plumbing the depths of the grottoes in Valkenburg in search of Sinterklaas’ surprises for our children or grandchildren, branding is back again.
http://www.meuse-rhine-journal.com/html/Bus_20061124134047.html