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Today’s guest columnist is Jake McKenzie.

What is Birmingham’s BRAND?

The fundamental nature of who we are, what we embody, and how The Magic City resonates with the world?

In short, our message to the world is what makes Birmingham unique.

In marketing, we’d define this notion as a key differentiator – something that separate our brand from competitors and creates distinct advantages with our target audience.

Solidly differentiated companies have mastered the art of molding, storytelling, and building awareness around their core brand identity (and have loyal customer bases to show for it).

The reason for this is simple – our brains are wired to seek simple answers to complex questions. The complex question that a city’s brand tries to answer:

Why should you visit, move to, or relocate your company to Birmingham?

All successful cities have a clear brand, a promise about what you should expect and why you should want to give it a closer look. It helps to drives tourism, economic development and population growth.

But Birmingham doesn’t seem to have a brand, at least not one that may people are aware of.

At a recent gathering of local entrepreneurs and executives I posed the question: “How do you define Birmingham’s brand?” Specifically, what’s your pitch to potential employees that you are trying to recruit to the city? After slight pause and palpable contemplation from the crowd, answers trickled in.

What’s fascinating is that almost every answer was different. Answers included: our food scene, our civil rights history, the local people and culture, our proximity to lots of other things in the southeast, and many other positive attributes.

All were positive and true statements about tangible aspects and amenities that make Birmingham special. But there’s something to be said that no answer was the same, and no consensus emerged about our core identity. And THAT is the problem. There is an old quip in marketing – when you have too many things to say about your brand, you have no brand.

It’s like describing individual qualities of The Mona Lisa – brown eyes, golden skin, subtle smile – but not quite capturing the broader masterpiece in its authentic and holistic beauty.

The most obvious conclusion from the exercise was 1.) Birmingham’s core brand identity has yet to be agreed upon, and 2.) to effectively distinguish The Magic City as a premier U.S. destination, we can’t continue banking on textbook features (that other cities also claim).

But it’s time to acknowledge that true brand differentiation springs from a deeper connection – the soul of our town, its culture, and elements that resonate emotionally. We need a BRAND – one thing that we all can use to promote our city. A simple answer to “Why Birmingham?”

The most notable mid-sized U.S. cities have amassed a loyal fanbase less because of tangible niceties, but more because they tap into our psyche and pull deeply at our heart strings. The laid-back pace of New Orleans has earned it the label, “The Big Easy”. Nashville is appropriately coined, “Music City”. In Texas, we’re reminded to “Keep Austin Weird”. And Portland is “The City of Roses”.

Like Birmingham, these destinations all have brand attributes centered around food, industry, culture, and livability. However, their magnetism and memorability are fueled by the intangible – it’s the core identity that citizens and visitors feel.

So, I ask again, what is Birmingham’s core identity?

It’s a place where resources run deep, and the community is passionate about sharing them. It exudes small-town southern charm, yet big city spirit. Our iconic and historic neighborhoods nurture connections and brim with culture. And like our beginnings, forged from iron and steel, we are hungry for growth. People who love it here, LOVE it here. The Magic City has an intangible vibe that longs to be packaged, stamped, and disseminated far beyond Alabama’s borders. We just have to seize the opportunity.

Annually, we invest hundreds of thousands of economic development dollars in Birmingham, funds allocated to innovative programming and resources to recruit new business and workforce, boost tourism, and inspire citizen pride. But it’s past time we filter just a sliver of those efforts into crystalizing our brand.

A measure like this would move the economic needle 1000-fold, and drive true awareness of the Magic City regionally, nationally, and beyond.

Jake McKenzie is the CEO of Intermark Group, the nation’s largest psychology-driven advertising agency. Clients include companies like Toyota, Krispy Kreme, and Progressive Insurance. Jake is an avid reader and outdoors enthusiast, in addition to being a father of four. He holds a BA in Psychology and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, as well as a MPPM from Birmingham-Southern College.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. [email protected]