Brand | Korea Tourism #1!
What is it with Korea’s fascination with itself as a tourist ’brand’? Everyone at important levels of government are talking about it these days. GNP lawmakers are raising Korea’s 7th place ranking (out of eight) among Asian tourist destinations as a major issue.
In response, they are meddling with hotel prices (in between session napping). Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon is under fire for the ridiculous ‘Soul of Asia’ ad campaign, which to everyone’s surprise, cost a whopping $62-million. And in a move that has Tijuana written over it, an initiative to increase medical tourism. Cheaper nip and tucks, anyone?
Since when did public policy of substance, strong economic and monetary policy, and export-led development get put by the wayside, in favor of a better image? I mean let’s look at the U.S. to compare. It is by acclamation brand number one (most loved and most hated simultaneously), but inside it’s a flailing mess of an economy. Tourism won’t save the States.
And neither will tourism save Korea. But there are underlying cultural reasons, and strangely enough, it reminds me of my elder Korean uncles who, not unlike these comedians below, have intense national pride and the confucian priority for the exterior appearance of things.
Since World Cup 2002, the powers-that-be have stuck their gavels in their mouths, and have ultimately surrendered well intentioned ideas to clowns.
1. Let’s start with this (the Cheonggye poo sculpture):
-The colors are not natural
-It reminds many Korean children of ‘poo’
-Don’t we have enough phallic objects as sculpture in Korea?
-Unlike the Eiffel Tower, to which some have had the gall to compare, this is not something you can climb.
-For the City Hall terminus of the Cheonggye Stream, it does a lot to block the view.
2. A quick glance just a few of the ‘Soul of Asia’ ads and you know that the advertisers have neither soul nor sense. To summarize they have tried the following: sell Korea as a Chosun-era wedding (video below); as a night shopping district / club in what could be any Asian city for newlyweds; and my personal favorite, a bipolar city set on a foggy Han river on which junks still travel with hanbok clad old folks clashing with hot women in nightclubs. I can’t decide. Let’s put it all in one ad. Let’s not forget the marbly mouthed spot with Bi (Rain) trying sell Seoul on his cuteness factor.
3. Last but not least, the lawmakers have not been instrumental in making things any better because they are continually going to the wrong experts. Take for example this guy, Simon Anholt, the brand expert behind the current “Korea Sparkling” slogan. While legitimate in his field, it makes me wonder whether he is more important than experts in civil engineering, city administration and public affairs, and business friendly legislation. Oh right, these areas are supposed to be the realm of lawmakers but they’re too busy focusing on the nation’s image problem and hotel prices and trifling over ad budgets.
What is the solution to this mess? The government can do well to focus on what it does best (or least) and that’s legislation. It can start by working on modernizing infrastructure like asbestos free subways. It can do well to attract foreign investment and capital through smart new regulations. If it wants to advertise it can do well to use real people through grassroots channels, not canned messages in the mass media. If the government truly cares about me, as an individual, they would take that awful eyesore of a crackerjack toy on the Cheonggye down. They would fire the admen who obviously don’t have a clue.
Seoul needs to focus on services and the real needs of people living here. There are already many foreigners in Korea, especially curious, inquisitive English teachers and gyopos who, armed with digital cameras and blogs, have been posting Korea’s real life all over the web. While researching pictures for this essay, I found this wealth of visual data about Korea on flickr! Search any district in Seoul and you will experience a vicarious connection with those places that is as authentic as it gets.
In the final analysis, give the masses a city worthy of discussion, spread through the power of the web. When it comes to the very definition of a good reputation, we all know this cannot be manufactured through ad spots on CNN but only earned in real life.
–The Seoul Satirist is on vacation and will return Oct 27
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