For branding to be good, a product must be better

There is currently a campaign to come up with what its promoters say would be a sustainable and integrated tourism brand for Cebu. There is no doubt that the promoters have the best interests of Cebu at heart. And for that their initiative deserves the appreciation of every Cebuano, as should anything that helps Cebu in a positive way.

Nevertheless, we do not think that branding, or sloganeering, alone would be enough to drive home the point that Cebu is the best destination for tourists and even investments. No matter how well you package Cebu, if the product is unable to sell itself, then everything else that is done will fall flat on its face. And that would be a pity, considering the best intentions that the promoters have put into their initiative.

Consider, for instance, the input of Cebu Governor Junjun Davide, whose enthusiasm for the project is admirable and matched only by the quickness with which he has responded. "Cebeautiful," Davide proposed. And indeed it is beautiful. The brand is catchy, easy on the lips. It would be hypocritical of us to say it is not a nice-sounding brand.

But there goes the point we wish to emphasize. The brand is not the product itself. Cebeautiful may conjure up images of a Cebu that is beautiful. The problem comes when the expectations do not match the experience. We can outdo ourselves coming up with the greatest of brands, but if the product does not measure up to the hype, then we will have a Mayweather-Pacquiao of a different sort.

We do not wish to stand in the way of the initiative. As said at the outset, its promoters are on to something good. But what we would like to see happen is a parallel initiative undertaken by the biggest stakeholder of all in this eternal campaign – the government. And by government we mean the government in its most basic incarnation, regardless of the level of its authority or jurisdiction.

The government must ensure that Cebu as a product can measure up to what Cebu the brand will be advertising. Cebu as a product must be able to make it worth the while of tourists and investors in coming over. If government is able to make that assurance, then the rest will follow. Cebuanos are always willing participants, especially if their government sets the right examples.

So whether it is Davide's Cebeautiful or something else, the brand will never mean as much if its truth is not complete and unassailable. We should guarantee the product first so that the brand will just be the icing on the cake. Let us make Cebu safe, secure, healthy, modern, orderly, clean, friendly, and whatever it takes to make it sell by itself.