Building Chicago’s Brand with a Swim
How do you build a city’s brand? Here’s one idea: swim.
Last weekend, Chicago hosted an open water swim in the Chicago River. Organized by the non-profit A Long Swim, the one and two-mile swims raised money for ALS. The event was successful at raising funds. It also did remarkable things for the City of Chicago’s brand.
City Brands
Brands are the associations linked to a name, mark or symbol. Almost anything can be a brand, because associations develop: Products, services, people and, yes, cities.
Many cities have strong, positive brands. When you think of Paris you might think about the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the glorious boulevards, French culture, food and wine. Sydney brings to mind the iconic Sydney Opera House, the spectacular harbor and Bondi beach. New Orleans is linked to jazz, Bourbon Street, the Mississippi River, amazing restaurants and beignets.
Not all city brands are positive; most are a mix of positive and negative associations. Minneapolis has lakes and lively downtown, but also associations of cold and George Floyd.
City brands matter. People decide about vacations, conferences, job opportunities and corporate relocations based on perceptions, and perceptions are shaped by brands.
Chicago’s Branding Challenge
Chicago is a city with a questionable brand. Chicago has incredible assets, including a clean, clear lake, a spectacular urban core and an astonishing collection of cultural institutions, corporations and restaurants.
But Chicago also has associations linked to crime, financial instability and urban decay.
Donald Trump is not a fan of Chicago; his constant attacks reinforce the negative parts of Chicago’s brand.
The Chicago River Swim
The only way to improve a brand is to create positive associations. You can’t debate the negatives; this just highlights the problems. You have to replace the negative associations with positive associations.
This is why the Chicago River Swim was such a triumph for Chicago.
The event captured attention. The headline story was catchy: the first open-water swim event in the Chicago River since 1926.
The entire event was surprising: who would think that there would be a swimming race in the middle of downtown Chicago?
The coverage was remarkable. Media outlets around the world featured the story, including the New York Times, NBC, NPR, the Guardian, CBC and many more. The common theme: the Chicago River has bounced back and is now clean enough for swimming.
More importantly, social media lit up. If you search on TikTok for Chicago River Swim you’ll see post after post, all positive. Influencers talked about the event; it was interesting, promising content to work with.
The Chicago River Swim was an enormous positive boost for Chicago’s brand. Hundreds of swimmers took part. Chicago looked glorious. The participants were excited and happy. The Chicago River looked clean and appealing.
What is Chicago? It is an urban, vibrant city with clean waters where people swim and have fun.
There were no drownings on Sunday. No dead fish. No notable crime. No overwhelming police presence. It was all positive associations for Chicago.
Apparently, the organizers had trouble getting a permit from the City of Chicago. This is ridiculous. The City of Chicago should rush to host more surprising and unique events like this that puts Chicago in the news in a positive way.
It is the only way to rebuild Chicago’s brand.
I missed this year’s swim but I’m planning to swim next year and be part of a new Chicago tradition. I hope to see you there.
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