CEBU BRAND SINGS

Tourism stakeholders in the Cebu Brand Team toast to the result of their collaboration during a grand unveiling at the Ayala Activity Center. The logo and tagline “Cebu, where the heart sings” is flashed on the screen after the program of songs and dances put together, like the brand, “for the love of Cebu.” Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Tess Chan (center in blue) leads the salute. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Festival dancer, heart,  colors capture ‘essence’ of people, island

At last, the island of Cebu has defined its own brand.

To proud residents and tourists, Cebu is “where the heart sings.”

The tagline in colorful letters and the outline of a Sinulog festival dancer holding aloft a red heart will be the key message and image promoted by stakeholders in the private sector and Cebu government.

Loud cheers greeted the unveiling of the brand last night at the Ayala Activity Center in a program of songs, dances and a video, all put together for free “for the love of Cebu”, said the emcee Carol Ballesteros of Mega Cebu.

“With Cebu climbing to the top as a destination globally, it’s about time we enhanced further the uniqueness of Cebu,” said Mila Espina, chairperson of the tourism committee of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).

“The brand is beyond a caption or slogan. It is about capturing the essence of Cebu,” she said.

CHOICE OF COLORS. Red for faith and passion, Yellow for warmth and friendliness, Green for nature and creativity and Blue for the sea and resilience.

It took six months of collaboration to identify key elements to capture what Cebu is about.

Partners in the Cebu Brand Team  include the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Mega Cebu, tourism commissions of Cebu City and Cebu province, the Cebu Association of Tour Operators, GMR-Megawide Cebu  Airport Corp. and individual volunteers.

Tetta Baad, chairperson of the Cebu City Tourism City Commission,  said the brand logo brings to life the  identity of Cebuanos.

Also read: A brand launched “for the love of Cebu”

It is embodied in the outline of a female festival dancer holding up a bright red heart.

The swaying figure  quickly reminds one of the Sinulog and “everything the logo stands for – passion, creativity, warmth and resilience”, said Baad.

“If you look at the logos of tourism competitors, especially islands, they are always colorful to denote fun and happiness. It isn’t  rigid. So we thought we should go for a font that is artistic, like brush strokes in different colors,” Baad said.

Four bright colors make up the word ‘Cebu’.

Yellow symbolizes warmth and friendship. Green is for nature and creativity.  Red for faith and passion. Dark blue for resilience.

The light blue sweep beneath the word ‘Cebu’ evokes the sea as a basic element of its island identity.

AMBASSADORS

The challenge ahead is “to be Cebu’s ambassadors”  and to rev up the tourism industry as an economic driver,  said Gov. Hilario Davide III in a message read by Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino.

He said the launch “comes at the right time”  after the positive impact of hosting APEC meetings with more international events in the near future, like the International Eucharistic Congress, which will draw 15,000 delegates in January  a week after the annual Sinulog festival.

He commended the “spirit of unity” that brought out “a brand that reflects the soul and identity of our land.”

Agreeing on a single concept was big challenge “with no budget” said organizers.At one point, the team tapped the services of Manila-based advertising firm Publicis, sponsored by GMR-Megawide.

Several brainstorming sessions and workshops followed an initial talk in May by CCCI’s guest speaker Jacqueline Alexis Thng, an international  brand expert based in Singapore, whose past projects include developing the country brand of New Zealand.

The phrase “Cebu, where the heart sings” was first tossed by Baad in an impromptu audience exercise of a CCCI’s tourism forum on June 19 at SM City.

There were many other suggestions to replace Cebu’s monicker as “Queen City of the South” .

Some said Cebu was “vibrant young woman” or should be depicted as as an endless “summer” or “tropical island paradise”.

After months of discussion of various options, the team returned to the short, simple phrase about the “heart” and “singing”.

The logo design was sketched by Baad and executed in full color by  her daughter Cristina Cantos, a brand consultant and designer, who travels around the country shooting images for ilovepilipinas.com, her website which “celebrates our love for the Philippines and everything Filipino”.

The logo itself highlights Cebu’s people.

Baad said many who visit Cebu and like it can’t pinpoint one specific thing that makes Cebu memorable.

Also watch: Cebu, Where the Heart Sings

Eventually, local and international tourists end up attributing Cebu’s uniqueness to its people.

“There is something about Cebuanos.  Cebuanos are inherently happy, open, friendly, and willing to help. Cebu is a special place because of how the people make it,” she said.

In her closing remarks last night, Baad said the brand is now in place to move Cebu up the ladder.

“So now, our entry in the world stage of tourist destinations joins the multitude of brands, all aiming to get travelers  to take a look at our offerings, and decide where to go.”’she said.

She  compared Cebu to David, the shepherd boy, armed only with a slingshot and courage, to walk into battle to face Goliath.

“Cebu is, after all, our home – our special place we want to share with the world. Our home where the heart  sings in the truest sense,” Baad said.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed the results.

“Now we have something to base our marketing and promotion on,” said DOT Regional Director Rowena Montecillo at the sidelines of the unveiling program.

She said DOT would soon start rolling out promotional material and market the brand in two upcoming roadshows in South Korea.