WorldCity Business Magazine

X Appeal: Miami is Sexy Shorthand for South Florida

by Suzy Valentine

Miami is more than a city or constituent element of the South Florida region. Miami is a brand.

What is more, when it comes to looking at South Florida from the outside, Miami is the brand.

It’s short and it’s sweet but those five little letters conjure up all kinds of images for marketers. To illustrate the edge Miami has over its northerly neighbors, WorldCity Business conducted a poll of the use of the name in the contexts of trademark and the Internet.

There are 886 registrations for trademarks incorporating Miami at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C., 304 for Palm Beach and 37 for Fort Lauderdale. Just five trademarks use the word Broward.

Another significant difference is that registrations for Broward and Palm Beach are for homegrown products and services. Miami adds value to goods elsewhere that include the Miami Rice Pudding Co., which is milking the brand in New Jersey, and Miami Subs Grill, the coinage of a less than loyal Broward enterprise.

Miami is sexier apparently, even if its use is in connection with fast or convenience food.

Likewise, Miami tops the Google poll. The city is referenced 140 million times on the Internet, Palm Beach, 20 million times, and Fort Lauderdale, a little more than 7 million.

Miami has currency in Europe too. The Office for Harmonization of the Inner Market, based in Alicante, Spain, has 28 trademarks incorporating the name.

A French company attaches Miami Nights: Singles in the City to computer games, a German company has the rights to Miami Sun for tanning salons, a British company owns Miami Blue for cosmetics. Pall Mall Miami Azure is a line of cigarettes.

What each of these has in common is that the use the word Miami inspires glamour no matter the kind of product endorsed. It’s this image, together with the city’s notoriety and the words economy of scale that has led to its being the shorthand for the region.

In this vein, WorldCity Business has asked brand specialists and some executives to explain what Miami means to them. WC

Gene Prescott, President, The Biltmore Hotel and William Talbert III, President & CEO, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Since James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs raced across the neon-lit streets and sped across beautiful Biscayne Bay on a cigarette boat, Miami has fascinated people around the world.

In the 1980s, Miami Vice captured Miami’s evolution as an internationally renowned destination for tourism and global commerce.

Miami’s tropical backdrop, sultry vibe, ethnically diverse cultures, creative architecture and round-the-clock entertainment made Miami a must-see urban paradise.

Over the years, Miami’s popularity, growing international infrastructure and location began to draw numerous events including former President Clintons Summit of the America’s in 1994.

Years later, Miami grew in stature as a world city with the Summit of the Americas and a Free Trade Area of the Americas event in 2003. It spurred development of upscale hotel development and renovations. The Biltmore Hotel, brought back to life in the 1990s, is another example of how the fortunes of Greater Miami have shifted.

Without a doubt, tourism has also helped enhance Miami’s status as a major global destination.

Facing increasing global competition for tourism dollars, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau came into being in the early 1980s to serve as the official marketing arm of Miamis tourism.

It has lured major tourism trade shows including the Travel Industry Association of America’s international powwow and events such as Super Bowls, MTV Video Music Awards and IMG’s version of “Fashion Week in the South” Sunglass Hut Swim Shows Miami.

Convention sales efforts to highlight Miami’s top-notch meeting facilities have attracted major meetings such as Microsoft’s World Congress.

This has led to the destination welcoming 11.6 million overnight visitors in 2006 almost half from international markets and generated record visitor spends of more than $16 billion.

Tourism is Miami’s top industry, providing more than 100,000 jobs many of them at Miami International Airport.

The Port of Miami brings more than 3.6 million passengers a year, many of whom consider Miami a port-of-call for pre- and post- stays. Hotels throughout Greater Miami have generated more than $106 million in tourist-related taxes fudning parks, arenas and the $446 million Carnival Center for the Performing Arts.

Twenty years after Miami inspired a hit TV series, Miami Vice the movie screened last year, the work of creator Michael Mann.

Miami as a brand for tourism and lifestyle has never been stronger, which has spawned hit TV shows such as CSI: Miami on CBS. The fascination with Miami continues, enhancing its place as an economic powerhouse and world city.

James Dettore, CEO, The Brand InstituteMiami the Brand

New York. Paris. London. Miami Miami

What’s not to like? Over the last 25 years, Miami has evolved into a metropolitan paradise. It is a bold and alluring city. It’s the perfect mix of weather, people and opportunity. But how does Miami rank compared to the world’s best cities? I would argue, right at the top.Three key factors to defining brand success are innovation, loyalty and affinity.

Does Miami give me something different? Is this difference important to me? And how long will this connection last? Every year, Miami continues to redefine itself. The people continue to come. And the people that are here, love it more and more.

Miami has a strong resonance with people worldwide. Even if you have never been here, it has a mystical appeal that is only surpassed once you visit. Booming commerce, beautiful surroundings, and yes, beautiful people, Miami is a place for aspiring and modern world citizens.

I say world citizens, because that’s the key. In the near and distant future, the difference between winning and losing brands will be global reach and appeal. The heart of Miami beats to salsa and meringue; and the European influence is apparent in fashion, design, fine dining and world-class hotels. Everyone has a place in Miami, and everyone has an opportunity to be happy and successful.

Diverse business opportunities ensure the flow of international entrepreneurs and international capital to the city. While much of the country worries about sub-prime mortgages and a bursting housing bubble, Miami real estate stays strong. Luxury real estate markets are growing at a double-digit pace with the high-end condo market in Miami unfettered over the last 18 months. Miami has a unique and desirable edge.

Perhaps the biggest reasons for the city’s recent appreciation has been the revitalization of key areas within the city. Miami is no longer defined by a few blocks of real estate on Ocean Drive. Midtown, Downtown, the Design District, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura, Brickell, Key Biscayne and, of course, South Beach. This is a city you want to live in.

With the support of the media, consistently showcasing Miami in a positive and glamorous light, people worldwide are sure to continue their voyage to making Miami their home. The key to Miami’s future will be the city’s ability to stay true to its past, its people and its culture, but it is always looking forward to making the city more vibrant, more appealing and more relevant.

Susan Kidwell, Vice President for Florida and the Carolinas, Avenue A | Razorfish

San Francisco with the rest of the West Coast has built a reputation for creativity.

While the success of a few large advertising agencies helped put Miami on the map, it also paved the way for more companies to shine. Several film and production companies opened on South Beach. Although it had once seemed unlikely, Miami has become imbued with creative cachet to match Hollywood’s entertainment industry.

In addition to its creative reputation, Miami is also gaining a strong reputation for creating great digital experiences which is further enhancing the Miami brand. Over the past five years, the South Florida Interactive Marketing Association has emerged as a best practice support group for the interactive industry. With members such as Advertising.com, Avenue A | Razorfish, Google, Yahoo! and the recently acquired DoubleClick, it is successfully spreading the word about Miami and South Florida’s digital and interactive capabilities.

Miami has done a good job in branding itself, but more needs to be done.

When people think of Miami, they think of the beach and of vacations, which is fine. Clearly, our beautiful weather is a strength but we cannot cling to our snowbird mentality. We need to go beyond this and focus on new avenues for our business economy and strengthening our interactive presence is one opportunity.

Edgardo Defortuna, CEO, Fortune International

People say that Miami is growing into a world-class city. Although it is growing, the tremendous changes in the past five to eight years have already propelled it into the ranks of world-class cities.

In terms of size, economic strength and worldwide recognition, the city holds its own with Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, New York and Rio de Janeiro.

I moved to Miami in 1980 from Buenos Aires. I immediately fell in love with the city and stayed to complete my MBA at the University of Miami in 1982. Private investment has poured into Miami, increasing to more than $30 billion worth of development projects at various stages in the planning and construction process, bringing with it a changed skyline. The city has experienced 10 percent population growth over the past three years and that is estimated to grow 30 percent by 2010.

Miami attracts 5.5 million visitors a year and ranks third in terms of quality of life among U.S. cities.

The whole world loves Miami and everyone wants a piece of it. Where most cities rank high in one or two sectors, Miami offers an incomparable mix of factors that make it unlike any other place in the world.

The citys financial stability, healthy level of financial reserves, continued tax cuts and A+ bond rating on Wall Street appeal to the foreign investment market.

An unending list of residential and tourist attractions, cultural offerings and high profile events [Superbowl XLI, Art Basel Miami Beach, The Sony Ericsson Open tennis championship, the Annual Latin Grammy Awards, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Conference and?the MTV Music Video Awards] place Miami as one of the best cities in the world.

The city is not only a great place to live, but also a Mecca for investment, local and international.

Farida Kbar, chief brand officer, Diego + Heymann + Partners

Branding a City: Ola, Meu Nome is Miami

For the past few years, Miami has established itself as a strong brand that has potential to grow in the minds, hearts and pocket-share of vacationers, businesses and residents.

In order to understand why Miami is a strong brand, we can look at others such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft or IBM or we can look at cities we all agree are strong brands.

What make cities such as New York City, Las Vegas, Paris, or London cities everyone has on their list of places to go to?

We all want to go to New York City although it is neither affordable nor relaxing, nor weather-friendly. If you think rationally about New York City, you will find that you may not visit it anytime soon; yet, every person wants to be there, wants to visit or live or work in that city. It is all about how that city makes you feel.

Strong brands are more than just products; they are about the unique way that they make their consumers feel. New York City stimulates you like no other city; Las Vegas tempts you; Paris seduces you; London cultivates you.

What is special about Miami is how it makes you feel: It invigorates you.

For vacationers, feeling attractive is strolling in your bathing suit on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world or cruising in some of the hottest cars while being watched by beautiful and highly desirable people.

For them, feeling attractive is becoming part of the hot party scene of Miami, being dressed to impress, and dancing to the beat of some of the most sensual music in the world. It is going home with a natural tan that exudes happiness and satisfaction.

Businesses that decide to have an office in Miami feel attractive because they are attracting the best talent from Latin-speaking countries, who want the U. S. experience, and the best talent from the United States.

For people who move to Miami from Latin America, the notions of attractiveness derive from feelings of success or admiration from family and neighbors in Miami and their country of origin.

There is the relatively low cost of living in Miami and the thirst for Spanish and Portuguese talent which provides career opportunities and attractive living environments for people from Latin America.

For those who arrive from Latin America, feeling attractive includes absorption into another culture.

Miami is a strong brand which promises what no other city can deliver.