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Positioning Austin: What is the City's Brand Recognition?
Austin Business District
August/September
By Julie Garcia
Austin is the Capital of Texas and Live Music. Some would call us the “Film Festival Capital," “Cycling Capital," “Idea Capital" and, if Amy's keeps on scooping, the “Ice Cream Capital." But Austin's best-kept secret is the “Cultural Capital," that is bankrolling corporate credibility around the world.
Mike Shultz knows the city's reputation for cultural events helps him grow his business. But his business isn't hotels, nightclubs or music promotion - it's software. Shultz is the president and chief executive officer of Infoglide Software, an Austin-based leader in transactional business intelligence software that does business nationally and internationally.
“If you tie all the positive associations about Austin together - SXSW, Austin City Limits (ACL), our natural assets, Lance Armstrong - the message is that we're involved in a community that is hip, cool, motivated, successful and creative," says Shultz. “And we get the benefit of that brand because we live and work here, therefore we must be hip, cool, smart and successful."
It's said that a reputation takes years to build and only moments to ruin. Shultz and others take this matter seriously.
“Austin's cultural aura and reputation helps our business," says Shultz. “Young companies like mine have to build recognition, and one way to distinguish ourselves and our company is to mention that we're based in Austin. People want to have a context in which to understand things. It's the only way they can make a decision. The city's reputation is one way of doing that."
Ben Bentzin, chief executive officer of the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2006, has experienced the benefit of “Cultural Capital" while traveling on business internationally. The WCIT is a global high-tech event that is held every two years and will be hosted by Austin next year. WCIT 2006 is working across 80 different countries to identify delegates as well as sponsors and speakers for the event, and Bentzin has traveled across the world in his role as CEO. Recently, in Tokyo, Japan, he found that Austin's reputation arrived ahead of him.
“I was riding on the elevator with two Japanese men," says Bentzin. “They spoke some English and asked me where I was from. I told them Austin. They said 'You look like Lance Armstrong.' They clearly made the connection between Austin and Lance."
Bentzin also frequently hears references to Austin's reputation as a music center and said that people in other countries mention the “Live Music Capital of the World" slogan or ask about opportunities to hear live music while they're here.
There are two tests for the success of a brand, according to Bentzin. One, are people hearing about the brand, and two, does the brand stand for something positive.
“I'm impressed by how many times I talk to people around the world who have a favorable opinion of Austin because of the music and our outdoor lifestyle," says Bentzin. “I'm sure we wouldn't be having the success we're having in recruiting delegates, speakers and sponsors if we were from a city with an unfavorable or non-existent brand identity."
Conducting business may be about facts and results but building business is about people and relationships. And having a point of commonality with people we meet for the first time can help foster better relationships.
Stacey Berlow, president of Project Balance, a project management practice, does business all over the world in places like Africa and India and knows about the benefits of Austin's reputation.
“Austin's reputation helps build the personal relationships that business relationships are built on," says Berlow. “It's a conversation piece."
Austin has done a good job of establishing its brand. What now?
“Lance Armstrong has done a huge service for Austin because
he's from here, and he's such a huge icon throughout the world," says
Berlow. “We need to continue to encourage people who are from
here who stand out internationally and continue to promote the city."
Coming from the Northeast three years ago, she admittedly didn't know much about Texas before moving here. “I didn't know that the Texas economy is the eighth-largest world economy, so a little more advertising about why you'd want to do business in Austin and Texas would be good," says Berlow.
According to Shultz, business leaders can have a direct impact on enhancing Austin's “Cultural Capital." “It's important for businesspeople to continue to support those things that make Austin a great place to live and work," says Shultz. “We need to support programs like SXSW and ACL but those are just the most obvious ones. We also need to be concerned with education, roadways, environment, supporting the live music industry and the efforts of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I think even though Lance has retired, those yellow wristbands are going to have a long life because it's not just about Lance and cycling but about cancer survivors and overcoming adversity, and that will continue to resonate for lots of people."
Bentzin agrees that we currently have a strong brand image, but we should support and strengthen it. Locally, we must continue to invest in the cultural aspects of our community that have made it successful, and we need to be proactive in communicating to the world our positive aspects, she insists. “If you don't continue to invest in strengthening your brand, it will diminish over time," says Bentzin. “That's why the economic development efforts of the state and city are so critical."
The good news, according to Bentzin, is that Austin has benefited from the heavy lifting that's been done over the past 40 years by city leaders. “Once you have a good brand it's easier to maintain it," says Bentzin.
Austin's offerings and reputation make it a great place to locate and grow a business. With support from civic and business leaders, Austin's “Cultural Capital" will continue to create a positive business environment for Austin-based businesses and result in dividends for years to come.
Julie Garcia is director of account services for Brilliant Ideas Group, an Austin-based agency specializing in strategic communications, public relations and marketing. She can be reached at (512) 312-5668, jgarcia@brilliantideasgroup.com
