My "research" on Chongqing： "Cinderella"

Hi， I am an advert guy from Poland， named Przemek. My Chinese name is “Hao Yu”

The first time in my life I heard the name "Chongqing" was a few days before I left Poland， where I was working in advertising industry， including place branding. I did quite a lot research here to "study" about Chongqing.

Like most foreigners， I had only heard about Beijing and Shanghai. As for Chongqing， I hadnt even heard of its name before.

Despite of this， it is the fifth year of me to live in this city， and moreover I now consider myself as a local Chongqing guy. Living in a city I had no clue about before for a long time， right？ I must also add that I am not an exception， as far as I know， there are many English teachers who originally plan to stay in Chongqing for only a few years at most. And there are many businessmen from Beijing or Shanghai have lived here for a long period of time.

And no wonder， Chongqing is a really wonderful city， full of possibilities， with friendly， nice people. Many of my friends from Chongqing also feel the same way about Chongqing now， although I think that very few of them originally planned to stay longer in Chongqing.

Therefore， from the perspective of the commercial market， we can form an interesting conclusion： some people who knew nothing about Chongqing before， have chosen to settle here after living for such a short time. However， a more in-depth analysis of Chongqing as a form of “city product”， leads to the conclusion that Chongqing， giving satisfaction to its users （citizens）， in fact is a very good product. However， what this product lacks is a mature and clear brand concept for overseas promotion.

From a perspective of city development， if Chongqing wants to attract more clients， investors， backpackers， students， a unique brand for the city is indispensable. To this extent， whats worth emphasizing is that Chongqing is an excellent Chinese product. The city needs， deserves， and also has the potential to create its own brand， which will make the city more globally recognizable.

In today's competitive world， the main slogan of the product market is "stand out or die". This also applies to cities. In other words， to attract the attention of others， we must have a sound brand strategy， and this is what all the books about the city branding says.

Although city branding is a relatively young discipline， well applied it reaps outstanding results – this can be applied to both the European metropolis and the small tourist town. More and more towns are beginning to focus on branding， encouraging more and more investment in this area and， in turn， achieving the corresponding return.

Here is a case of a successful city brand.

Let's look at the closest city to Chongqing – Chengdus case of city branding.

After Wenchuan earthquake of 2008， and especially since 2010， the government in Chengdu has focused on branding Chengdu internationally as the “Real China”. This means that Chengdu has maintained the regions Chinese culture and traditional character of the city， and at the same time are developing rapidly like other countries in China.

Since 2009 the focus of the citys international branding has also leant on “Home of Panda”. This imagery includes a combination of contrasting images such as “modern” and “traditional”， “vibrant city life” and “traditional culture”， “city” and “nature” as well as “Chinese” and “foreigners”. The two notions of Chengdu as the “Real China” and as a modern city， have been and are being promoted internationally.

In 2010， the Chengdu government recruited a group of volunteers from all over the world to act as "Panda Ambassadors" and visit Chengdu. At that time， on Facebook， Chengdu launched an event with more than 60，000 people participating. Among the participants， six candidates were chosen， all based on votes from netizens and their knowledge of Chengdu. The final winner will get to work in the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base for a month of volunteer activities， and be free to travel around Chengdu.

The "Panda Ambassador" event has highlighted Chengdus reputation across the world， not only as the hometown for pandas， but also as an interesting and modern Chinese city.

From a foreigners view， I think Chongqing is as good as Chengdu. It can be said that Chongqing has many advantages of her own， such as： food， hospitality and openness. This is the basis for Chongqing as a good product. After living here for some time， it is natural to become a “l(fā)oyal user” of Chongqing city.

In addition， Chongqing is constantly on the list of "China's Fastest Growing Cities" and "China's Top 10 Tourist Destinations." Chongqing is located on the Silk Road along the Belt and Road as a link between Europe and China， providing Chongqing with excellent economic development opportunities and making it easier to gain a place in the international market through their brands. This leads onto another important issue - "why not build a brand of Chongqing？"

From a globalization perspective， both China and the rest of the world are undergoing reforms. Any period of transformation is always a chance for new and original cities of character， and Chongqing shouldnt be left behind. For this reason， now it is an excellent time for Chongqing to build its city brand， and Chongqing must firmly seize this opportunity.

On the New Year of 2018， Chongqing managed to obtain an advertisement space in New York Times Square， effectively launching a new wave of Chongqings brand promotion. But what is regrettable is that Chongqing still lacks a loud international name. From the perspective of advertising， Chongqing has great potential to build a brand. Its unique resources not only attract tourists， but also promote the development of the city.

Wondering about all of this， I came to the conclusion that Chongqing is a kind of phenomenon， in which the magical atmosphere consists of kindness and the honest smiles of the residents， flavored with a magic powder – “l(fā)ajiao”.

I think that Chongqing， like Cinderella， has not been given its due glory. Cinderella was so humble and shy that her glamour and merit only shone through when she appeared at the dance. ‘diligence， ‘friendly， ‘gourmet – these words all describe the charm of Chongqing. And she still has tremendous untapped potential. Once you discover the virtues of Cinderella， and have tasted her cuisine， you will want to be with her forever.

However， the reality is not a fairy tale. Todays Cinderella can not afford to wait for the appearance of a shining prince.Therefore， Chongqing， the "Cinderella"， should seize its own opportunities， develop promotion strategies and build a powerful city brand. Cinderella should show the world her own merits as soon as possible. Only in this way will the story have a fairy tale ending. Because a sprinkle of that spicy powder will make anything possible.

Editor： He Yu