Tn_hcc8610055c_2
The Hastings Council has been working overtime to find a compelling promotional identity for the Hastings District … in other words, to discover the Hastings “brand.” Apparently at stake is nothing less than rescuing Hastings from tourist oblivion.

Unfortunately, thousands of dollars have been wasted on an Auckland specialist branding agency to come up with the mesmerising … Hastings: The Salt of the Earth. I hope the agency didn’t bother to fly all the way down to Hastings to present that! Who at HDC is willing to confess ownership of this fiasco?! Smells like the fruits of cronyism.

The HDC tourism advisory board (TAB, chaired last term by Mick Lester, with a budget of $110,000) looks to be running away from this lemon. Hey Mick, why not ask BayBuzz? We have pertinent experience, we’re local, and as usual, we’ll contribute for free.

Here are some suggestions for Mick and his many advisors:

Hastings … A developer’s paradise
Hastings … Proud to be the sister city of Guilin
Hastings … Not just a service town
Hastings … Enjoy the ambiance, while it lasts
Hastings … On the way to Napier
Hastings … Where money talks
Hastings … Don’t judge us by our accommodations
Hastings … 33% pure is good enough
Hastings … Flasher than Wairoa
Hastings … Boy racer capital of Hawke’s Bay
Hastings … We have beaches to give away
Hastings … More Spanish Mission architecture than Palmerston North
Hastings … Rod Stewart slept here
Hastings … Learning to live without water
Hastings … Now with broadband
Hastings … Home of Havelock North

Actually, BayBuzz thinks the Council should tap the creativity of the entire Hastings community and use some of that $100K+ budget to offer a prize for the best branding slogan. Let a thousand flowers bloom.

Tom

Share



Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *