continuity of parks

Pico Kenter stormdrain in Santa Monica, CA, U.S. EPA photo

Toward the end of March 2006, "the unforgettable beach city" played host to its first annual Santa Monica Destination Brand Summit.

"A city can be considered a brand much like a greeting card,” said Gary Sherwin, president of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau. The goal, he explained, is to create a feeling. “A brand is actually an emotional connection between a product and its customer. Think of the way you feel about entering a Starbucks or even walking into Disneyland. Chances are you are buying both products for more than good coffee or thrill rides.”


the folks behind the brand

The mayor made his entrance riding a Segway-brand Human Transporter.

Meanwhile, between the Loews Beach Hotel, where the summit took place, and the Santa Monica Municipal Pier, to the north, the beach, for its high levels of indicator bacteria (total coliform, fecal coliform and enterococcus), had just received its usual monthly report card: F. According to Heal the Bay: “Illnesses typically associated with swimming or surfing in water contaminated with these bacteria include stomach flu, ear infection, upper respiratory infection and skin rash.”

Said Duane Knapp, chairman and president of BrandStrategy Inc., consultant to the city: “When you think about a destination brand, it is really about a science. This is not art, this is about substance.”

To get at the root of how “customers” felt about Santa Monica, Knapp had organized a series of focus groups with both tourists and locals, which last group he referred to as “stakeholders.”



Tourists, in general, lauded the city’s “friendly and healthy people, the beach, shopping opportunities, the overall atmosphere… and feeling of cleanliness and safety.” They weren’t so pleased about “homeless people and solicitors, traffic, the high cost of hotel, restaurant and other services, the lack of things to do, and the lack of public transportation.” The stakeholders, it seemed, “do not have enough enthusiasm to brand Santa Monica as a destination.”

For the time being, until something catchier came along (SayWA, etc.), the Brand Promise was to read as follows: “Santa Monica--the best way to discover Los Angeles; an unforgettable beach city experience filled with eye-catching people, cutting edge culture and bold innovations. It is the essence of the California lifestyle.”