Angry locals brand new logo useless
Readers say council wasted £150k on project
Stirling Council’s new logo and branding campaign has cost almost £150,000, it has been revealed.
The initiative – featuring the slogan ‘Stirling – Alive with Scotland’ – was launched at the Tolbooth earlier this month and follows the awarding of City Region Deal status for Stirling and Clacks.
Images promoting the city were beamed on to the Castle Rock and banners and billboards linked to campaign have appeared across the area.
Council Leader Johanna Boyd told the Tolbooth audience that following the granting of City Deal status, Stirling was changing.
She added: “We need to reflect that in how we present ourselves across Scotland, the UK and around the world.
“The brand captures everything we have to offer and captures this new spirit of Stirling, our optimism, our pride and our shared sense of purpose.”
However, the move attracted criticism on our Facebook page, with readers lining up to suggest the money could have been better spent. On March 21, the Observer submitted a Freedom of Information request asking for the total cost to Stirling Council of the creation of the new branding, ‘Stirling – Alive With Scotland’ which launched at the Tolbooth. We were told it was £25,330.
However, figures released this week by the council to the SNP Group have put the total cost at £144,000 out of a total budget allocated by councillors of £150,000.
Additional cash was spent on the engagement of Glasgow advertising, design and digital agency Maguires.
Other money went on creative and design work for the new branding and campaign visuals, “stakeholder engagement”, website development and redesign of existing sites, photography and media spend, lampost banners and the launch event.
Reader Les Cook was unimpressed with the new logo and slogan.
Writing on our Facebook page, he said: “Makes no sense to me.
“Sounds like a slogan made up by that comedy marketing show on the BBC. If it needs someone to explain what the slogan means, then it has failed completely – and how much was wasted on this?”
Lorna Macnair added: “(The council) might want to try cleaning the tourist areas up first. The amount of rubbish around the Castle and Back Walk alone is a total disgrace.”
Brenda Barclay said: “Why spend vast amounts of money on a logo that does nothing to reflect Stirling and expect the visitors you want to attract to drive on dangerous pot-holed roads. Get your infrastructure sorted first.”
And Susan Allan commented: “The council should be ashamed. Twice this week I have seen pleas from the local food bank desperate for donations and our increased council tax has paid for more bins and flags on every lamppost from King’s Park to outskirts of town.”
In response to the criticism, Councillor Boyd said: “We are negotiating for £600 million in infrastructure and jobs through a City Region Deal.
“We’re trying to propel our city into the world’s big leagues.
“Our ambition is to have Stirling talked about in the same breath as Barcelona or Florence and that means we have to have a brand that can compete.
“That’s what we’ve got and the income it could help generate for our region is immense.”
She disagreed with those who felt they would secure better value by better creating new branding using “a packet of crayons and some card from Tesco”.
It makes no sense. Sounds like a slogan made up by comedy marketing show