What Is The Shetland Brand?
Identity, location, history, heritage, skill, pride, belonging, uniqueness, origin, environment… these were the key components and inspirations behind creating the Shetland Brand.
But why create a Shetland Brand? The world is a competitive place and Shetland needed to establish a competitive edge. We needed to tell the world what makes us so unique, so special and different from other places in order to attract customers and market our products and services.
So who is our customer? What do they want? What do they expect? How much are they prepared to pay? What do we have to offer? How do we offer it? These and many more questions were carefully researched and considered before the creation of the Shetland Brand commenced.
The project aimed at developing a brand which focused on the islands' pure enviornment, strong archaeological heritage, rich, living culture and quality of craft and manufactured products. Out of it, a set of definitive Shetland values was identified: 'soul', 'origin' and 'fineness', and some guiding principles which go towards making Shetland special were defined: always surprising, limited edition, bright outlook and carefully crafted.
As part of the project, a brand marque (below) was also developed. It represents a combination of the sea (prow of a long boat and crash of a wave), music (head of a fiddle), pride and determination (arm and fist held high) and the land (head of a ram).
We, Promote Shetland, are the custodians of the original ‘Pride of Place’ marque and use it on all our marketing material and online. It should not be used elsewhere in the above form.
However, we have created a new ‘Proudly Supporting’ concept. We hope to encourage the people of Shetland to uphold the values of the brand and deliver what it promises, so Shetland may compete more effectively in global markets as a place to buy from, invest in, visit and live. We need to improve Shetland’s reputation through altering perceptions, changing behaviour and keeping promises. And ensure the messages we send are honest, coherent, consistent and targeted.
We also hope to inspire the people of Shetland, and those who have a connection with the place, to become ambassadors. To be proud of what we have to offer and tell everyone about it.
So what makes Shetland different from other places?
- A unique blend of Scottish and Scandinavian cultures.
- An outstanding natural environment and rich local heritage.
- High quality primary produce and other natural resources.
- A community that cherishes its traditions and values; respects its heritage, and understands that our livelihoods depend on our environment.
- Businesses offering high quality, carefully crafted products and services.
- A determined, creative and resourceful community that welcomes visitors and new Shetlanders from wherever they may come.
- A global awareness and connectedness that belies Shetland’s location.
- High quality education, health and recreational services.
- A safe and confident community that strives to expand its knowledge, extend opportunities and improve access.
Make Shetland part of who you are, what you do, what you say. Make it better. Make it here. And tell everyone. Stand with the Shetland Brand.
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