Business council discusses Seoul`s image

Seoul City`s business advisory council yesterday held its ninth general meeting to discuss ways to enhance Seoul`s brand image.

The general meeting of the council consisting of 23 internationally recognized businesspersons was attended by some 200 brand, marketing and tourism experts from home and abroad.

They included Simon Anholt, founder of Nation and City Brand Indexes, Christopher Forbes, vice president of Forbes, Richard M. Smith, chairman of Newsweek, Nick Reilly, president of General Motors international operations, and Nobuyuki Koga, chairman of Nomura Securities Co.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussion sessions on creation of innovative brand values for Seoul, implementation of marketing strategies for Seoul in global competition and management of branding strategies and customer relationship for Seoul.



"We (Seoul City) focused on investing in areas that can enhance the brand value of Seoul such as culture, art, design and the environment. As a result, Seoul has been transformed -- culture and art flows through the city like water and air," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during his welcoming address.

"I am well aware that we have a long way to go. We need to have more effective strategies and concrete actions to secure (our spot in) top ten global brand competitiveness."

During his keynote address, Simon Anholt said that the only way cities, regions and countries can achieve a competitive edge is by understanding, building and managing their brand image.

Anholt particularly underscored the "competitive identity," the theory and practice of building competitive reputational advantage for places, which he has developed.

"It involves a strategic alignment of all the stakeholders in reputation -- the tourist board, investment agencies, trade bodies, government, corporations and cultural bodies -- and a long-term vision for taking control of a place`s international reputation," he said.

"It is based on the simple concept that the only way for a place to change its reputation is by changing its behavior. The role of domestic and foreign corporations based in and around the city is particularly important. These companies can become enormously effective `commercial ambassadors` for the city, contributing to its image."

The council, which is currently chaired by David Reid, chairman of Tesco PLC, was launched in 2001 by the municipal government to offer advice and recommendations from business leaders to the Seoul mayor in order to help the capital city develop into a business center of Northeast Asia.

The membership represents a diverse array of industries such as information technology, media, financial services, consulting, investment, manufacturing, education, energy and environment. The council holds its general meeting in late October or early November once a year on pending issues facing the capital.

(sshluck@heraldm.com)





By Song Sang-ho