Editorial: What's in a name? Money

OPINION: A lot of money goes into building a successful brand.

Someone has to come up with a concept, others must develop it and if that concept is to get traction with large numbers of people, the brand must deliver and be marketed consistently well.

Brand Hamilton – and that's exactly what the city has become under the current council administration – is a case in point.

A decision was made in recent history to make Hamilton an events city. Loads of marketing and sponsorship dollars were put in behind the plan. We bought high-profile events, literally, and the city's visibility on the national radar has never been so high. The V8s, World Rally Championship, the Tua-Cameron fight, the upcoming supercross event at Waikato Stadium – all are much-watched events that pack in thousands on the day and capture a decent television audience. If you take your eyes off any of the action on the course or in the ring for just a few seconds, it is impossible to miss the Hamilton branding, the "on" generally in green at the end of the Hamilton name.

We do not know, because of something called commercial sensitivity, exactly how much money has gone into this strategy or what events it has targeted unsuccessfully – though one is the Ellerslie Flower Show, which went to Christchurch.

Because it has been a success, council staff who have driven this plan are rightly proud of what they have done, but have also become highly precious about making sure all possible avenues for the city's promotion are taken. On the most recent evidence, it is possible that council has become blinded by its successes.

Its efforts to rebrand the iconic Balloons Over Waikato Festival were ham-fisted.

Council has been one of the biggest backers of the balloon show in recent years. It's a natural fit: an external attraction that pulls in more than 60,000 to one venue in the city on one night (plus a whole lot of other feel-good activities through the week).

But its suggestion that next year's event be renamed Balloons Over Hamilton, in exchange for a five-figure sponsorship, was insensitive.

Balloons Over Waikato has developed a successful brand of its own. It prides itself on getting out in the region and to change its name now, when it is so well established, makes no sense. Thankfully its organisers saw that and the plan was rebuffed. Council says the sponsorship proposal will not be in jeopardy over this.

Privately, other major funders in the region are disparaging of the council's request. They say it was selfish. What next, Waikato Stadium being renamed Hamilton Stadium, and why not a bit of pressure on Waikato University to become Hamilton University?

Council has done fantastically well bringing so many events our way and has lifted our profile. It doesn't need to arm-twist everyone to fall into line though. That is taking things too far and council risks looking like it has got too big for its boots.

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