However, on joining business and community groups one thing that struck me very quickly is Palmerston North didn't seem to have a great reputation in the eyes of the rest of the country, and I couldn't see why. Also, there seemed to be somewhat of an inferiority complex about "being from Palmy".
Mostly when I heard the word Palmy, particularly from outsiders, it was either spoken in a negative tone or followed by a critical remark about the place.
The city council, in its wisdom, decided on an advertising drive to make locals proud of the place and show off all its attributes and qualities. Central to this drive was a nomenclature change in advertising and many official documents, using the nickname Palmy in place of Palmerston North.
All well intended. However, the challenge with using a nickname in a more official capacity is if that nickname has any negative connotations, then it takes a massive effort to change people's perceptions. Unfortunately, it may also have the reverse effect of reinforcing the negative undertone previously associated with the nickname.
The name Palmy is now done and dusted, and official, so we must all strive to promote all the positives about the place and, over time, make all New Zealanders proud of Palmy.
However, I have some real concerns with the council's latest attempts at promotion with its Palmy, famous for being boring advertising. This appears to be negative advertising at its worst.
As Mike Clark commented recently in the Manawatū Guardian, "This billboard is tongue in cheek, but the thing that sticks is the phrase."
This is indeed negative marketing - people will only associate and remember the word Palmy with boring. Not only that, there's no positive message in the billboard. Dave Mollard later said in his column, "I think this was an own goal rather than a scoring kick."
Negative marketing is a tactic used in advertising that taps into negative emotions — such as fear, irritation, anger, or sadness — in order to elicit a response from the customer, often in favour of what a brand offers or against what a brand opposes or competes with.
In the advertising industry, negative marketing is often used to:
•exclude certain customer groups and build exclusivity of existing clients, or
•create a bond over shared negative experiences.
Is that what we're trying to promote about Palmerston North?
My plea as now a very proud resident is can we please be united in using positive words and phrases to describe and promote this great city?
Positive marketing has four key elements:
•It's "on strategy" with our purpose and lists meaningful features and benefits.
•It communicates a simple, single message we want people to understand and remember.
•It is credible – people can believe what they see and hear – they'd like to be part of it.
•It is truthful and ethical.
As Albert Einstein is reported to have said, "Creativity is intelligence having fun". Let's be intelligent with our creative marketing of Palmerston North and have fun highlighting the many positives about the city and forget the negative words and phrases.
• Bob Selden is an author, management consultant and coach based in Palmerston North and working internationally.
