Branding and Positioning: A Tale of Two Cities

No it’s not Venice. It’s Amsterdam. Over the past year, there’s been talk of Amsterdam closing down its famous red light district. I heard two talk radio jocks joking about it just the other day. Jock A says “But that’s what Amsterdam is known for. What do they have left? Venice already owns the canal thing.”

It’s true. Apparently Amsterdam has more canals than Venice. I remember staying in on a floating Youth Hostel in my 20′s. But Venice has got the canal city brand all sewn up. Kinda makes you think. It’s not what you got, but how you market what you got. Positioning-wise, it’s a huge advantage to be first. But not always. Check out Carl Perkins’ Blue Suede Shoes… Moral of the story? If you’re not first, you gotta be Elvis.