Those who were at the town council last night will have heard the town centre co-ordinator pitch that what Rhuthun/Ruthin needs is a marketing logo and with it a brand. "Logo" and "brand" are two very throw-away words, these days. Few really understand what a "brand" really is. Yet, there is no doubt that, these days, both are important.
Those who live in or visit Rhuthun will already have an image of what constitutes the Rhuthun "brand" (its "brand image"). Chances are that this will include something of the following dozen facets of Rhuthun:
- Market town
- Independent shopping
- Spectacular scenery
- History streetscapes. St Peter's and the Square
- Welsh language & culture
- Views to the Clwydians
- Friday market
- Produce market
- Nantclwyd y Dre, the Old Gaol
- Relative prosperity
- The Craft Centre
- The Ruthin Castle, Medieval Banquets
What Rhuthun needs to do is create a "brand identity". This is shaped by the brand owner (whomsoever that may be) based upon what the owner wants the visitor to understand and "feel". This is different to the brand image but, if the image is good, then the identity must play on or reflect off the image. At the very heart of the identity is a logo. The logo is the most important aspect of a brand identity.
If the above 12 facets determine people's image of the Rhuthun brand then why is the shortlist of three concentrating on something that's so obscure? Would it be better to play on the positive image in creating a brand identity and a logo?
Logo 1 is supposed to reflect the ceiling of Ruthin Castle. The ceiling’s not something that immediately springs to mind when you think of Rhuthun. Will this be lost on potential visitors?
Logo 2 purports to reflect elements of the built environment around Rhuthun. This seems very ambiguous. How will potential visitors make the link?
Logo 3 draws on the Clwydian Range. For those who make the journey over the Clwyd Gate and look at the hills from the west, this is something of amazement when compared to the same hills from the east. Of the three logos, this is the most easily identifiable with Rhuthun. But there's more to Rhuthun than this. And why the angularity when our hills are fluid?
Could I do better? I could not. But I do feel that all three fail to capture the essence of Rhuthun. If I were a betting blogger, at the end of the co-ordinator's employment term (the end of 2014), I'd wager all three would be quietly dropped.
And let's look at some of Rhuthun's "competitors".
Prestatyn's is a more modern approach. Prestatyn doesn't have the history of either Rhuthun or Dinbych but it is a seaside town, now with modern shopping. The logo cleverly says it's all here.
Flintshire doesn't have a great deal to offer the visitor, to be honest. Rhuthun's town centre co-ordinator used to work part time on marketing Flintshire tourism, so she should know. Yet here is a logo that creates a sense of discovery.
Bala's plays nicely on its Welsh culture.
For me, though, the best of these for its simplicity, meaning and instant recognisability is Dinbych's. It's artistic. Its script is simple yet tells of history. The use of the key suggests hidden treasures (and a town wall for which you actually have to go and get a key to explore).
A Fan and a Co-ordinator
Finally, it was seven years ago that a tourism report on behalf of Denbighshire council recommended a single brand for the entire Vale, from the Tweedmill to the mountain bike centre, from Hiraethog to the Clwydian Range. Out of that developed the information boards we see in locations along the Vale but that seems all. The Vale brand appears underdeveloped. The established-over-20-years North Wales Borderlands concept was another competing brand. That was overtaken in March 2014 by North East Wales—althogether brilliant. Like the established Borderlands concept, NE Wales also seems undersold. And here's a word of caution. The old Borderlands Facebook page had almost seven times the number of "likes" than its year-long North East Wales replacement.
