A strategic plan for the city of Athens

Course: Cultural Marketing | City branding Prof: Betty Tsakarestou

Team: AnagnostakiEva MavrikiRania RizouAnastasia

“ “What we’re missing, us Greeks, is a bit of practicality and a bit of poetry in our daily

lives, the two extremes that lead to the ultimate balance. We are prosaic and

fantasists at the same time. Prosaic in our fantasies and fantasists in our businesses”

Karagatsis

“

Who we are

The challenge

Cultural city managers a team of young creatives who aim at transforming the city, through its cultural assets

o Athens’ image is stuck to the past o Its quality of life is getting worse o Political and social distrust o Its citizens are losing their self-belief o Lack of urban cohesion to reconstruct the image of the City through a novel strategy that focuses on the unique cultural traits of Athens, with the citizen’s engagement

“Life in Athens” based on Google images search

“Life in Berlin” based on Google images search

“ “Crisis keeps us awake,

we are more aware now” Alison, founder of The Meet Market

“

Target groups & goals

1. Athenians

Goals\

o Invest on their creative spirit

o Build their self-esteem

o Overcome the established belief that they

cannot “hack’ the system

o Collaborate with local groups

2.Local stakeholders, including: municipal authorities, media, cultural institutions, creative industry, real estate

Goals\

o Motivate them to reinvent Athens and its brand image

o Discover a contemporary face for the city, without

focusing only on the Acropolis and the folklore

traditions.

o Involve the local community to their activities and

together shape the image of their city

3.Visitors - Students

Goal: to invite them for quality studies in a diverse and fun environment,

where they can mingle with the locals and experience a value-for-money

student life

- Young creatives

Goal: to live in a city where major changes occur, new creative ideas pop

up and there is a lot of space for experimentation and new approaches

- Tourists

Goal: to experience the cultural heritage of Greece and at the same time

experience the changing face of a metropolis that is located n the middle

of two worlds

“ “Greece is something between first

world lux and third world chaos”

Alison, founder of The Meet Market

“

4.Investors

Goal

Encourage investors to remap Athens as a space

with potential for investments, thanks to innovative

ideas that if implemented could boost the creative

economy

a perfect time and place to set an experiment in

order to see if “Culture-Led Urban regeneration” can

occur

What’s up with Athens?

Our methodological approach

Mindmap Putting Athens in the centre of our mindmap, we visually represented what Athens means to us

Methodological tools

Interviews - Evangelia Koutsovoulou |

Founder of Daphnis and Chloe | Culinary herb company

- Argyro Barata & Niki Vouimta | Founders of FEAST | Live Crowdunding Events

- Dimitra Paraskevopoulou | Founder of Ava’s Farm | Online marketplace of Greek products

- Alison Damianos | Founder of The Meet Market | Nomadic marketplace

Our mindmap

Our focus

Food → export unique greek products and food culture Grassroots movements → foster cohesion and collaborative culture Culture & Heritage → develop innovative and synergistic mindset, promote the contemporary artistic scene Tourism → point out the diverse and multifaceted touristic offer Public space → reuse and mixed-use approach, transforming the public to common space

Our values

Strategy General concept

Athens is a charming city with great history, great food, creative and open people, good

weather and a diverse social nexus. Nevertheless, Athens is not the new Berlin,

either Amsterdam or Paris. In order to reinvent itself, Athens should and can “hack”

crisis and redefine its assets, by using its citizens’ creativity and co-creating innovative

structures and models.

“Live the city as a citizen”

“ ““I would like Athens to take care of

Athens” Evangelia, Founder of Daphnis & Chloe

“

FOOD

FOOD Idea 1: Food market with branded greek products*, located in an Athenian arcade Urban agenda (Amsterdam) * prerequisite to have a distribution channel abroad

Target groups: Visitors, Athenians Goal Make Athens the main communication hub for local Greek producers in order to outreach their goods and set the mechanism for exports increase Profit o Educate producers to become extrovert, accessible, reachable and

develop unique brands o Let Athenians and tourists experience the Greek products and motivate

them to adopt a healthy Mediterranean diet o Introduce an alternative use of public spaces

Communication strategy

~REXPERIENCE THE GREEK CUISINE ~ Channels: website, social media, digital ads, press, travel agencies, airport, hotels, touristic platforms Message: Readopt the Mediterranean cuisine, experience the Greek food and take

it home with you

FOOD Idea 2: Online storytelling platform about the experience of the local greek food – Locals vs. Foreigners

“Why should be feta used only in Greek salad?” Target groups Athenians, Visitors, Potential visitors Goal Rediscover the multi-use of Greek products and reverse the established belief of traditional eating habits. Profit o Reform the perception around Greek food culture o Expand the market o Involve the local community in an international dialogue

Communication strategy

~REXPERIENCE THE GREEK CUISINE ~ Channels: website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), press releases, digital ads, press Message: Experience the Greek food as a local

CULTURE

CULTURE

Idea 1: White night (International Museums Day 2016) video Goal Initiate collaboration between established museums, while transforming the city into an open-air feast, where everyone is included Target groups Athenians, Local stakeholders, Visitors Profit o Cultivate an extrovert, collaborative mindset to the Athenian museums o Acquaint and engage the Athenians and the tourists with the cultural

offer of the city o Touristic attraction economic profit o Promote community feeling and sense of belonging

Communication strategy

~REFRAME GREEK CULTURE~ Channels: website, social media, press Message:

One night, one city, one feast

“ “I couldn’t find what I was looking for,

that’s why I built it myself” Alison, Founder of The Meet Market

“

CULTURE Idea 2: Museum trail - As Athens lacks a “museum square” we propose a route connecting the museums in a historical/chronological continuum, guided by young experts.

Target groups Visitors, Local stakeholders Goal Offer an holistic and fresh perspective of the Greek cultural history Profit o Touristic attraction o Offer experience to young unemployed experts o Create a narrative linking the museums

Communication strategy

~REFRAME GREEK CULTURE~ Channels: website, social media, press, travel agencies, airport, museum communication managers Message: A cultural time travel from ancient times to nowadays

CULTURE

Idea 3: Theatre workshops in collaboration with international universities with theatre studies or professionals, in order for them to experience the theatre at its birthplace Target groups Visitors (students & young creatives), Local stakeholders Goal Offer the opportunity to the international academic and professional community to experience theatre at its birthplace Profit o Cultivate an extrovert profile of the Greek theatre o Promote collaborations between Greek and international theatre

institutes

“ “We are ashamed of being exposed and

ashamed of failing, that’s why we need to be more extrovert, to reverse the situation”

Niki & Argyro, Founders of Feast

“

Communication strategy

~ REFRAME GREEK CULTURE ~ Channels: website, social media, press, international universities with theatre study programs, ambassadors, theatre institutes Message: Experience the theatre at its birthplace

CULTURE

Idea 4: Artists Residence for cultural exchange → a one month experience at an Athenian residence, in order to bring together Greek artists with international ones, in order to exchange knowledge and ideas and co-create. Target groups Greeks (artistic scene), International artistic scene, Local stakeholders Goal Make Athens a collaborative cultural hub Profit oExtroversion oEstablish collaborations oMove away from the traditional image of Greek culture

Communication strategy

~ REFRAME GREEK CULTURE ~ Channels: website, social media, press, universities, cultural institutions, ambassadors Message:

Be re-inspired by Athens, through a unique cultural exchange

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS Idea: Neighborhood network using the unique “filema” cultural trait as a motivation to start a dialogue between the local communities of a neighborhood. Once a year, the neighborhood organizes a homemade food “festival” where everyone, both individual citizens and civic groups/grassroots movements gather to exchange ideas, express their needs, show their skills and communicate their vision/work, with the help of a more humanized version of the “Citizen Canvas” Target groups Athenians, Local stakeholders, Grassroots movements Goal Embrace co-existence and exploit crowd wisdom in the urban environment, starting with the concept of “filema” Profit o Enhance connectivity in an offline environment, the public space o Connect demand and supply in its social dimension

Communication strategy

~ RECONNECT ATHENS ̀~ Channels: website, social media, press, physical presence and communication with the local community, word of mouth Message: Connect with your neighbors, reimagine your neighborhood and collaboratively

reshape it

PUBLIC SPACE

GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS Idea : Creative placemaking

“In creative placemaking, public, private, not-for-profit, and community sectors partner to

strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or

region around arts and cultural activities.”

mingle the creatives with the local community and the local stakeholders, co-creating a

better public space.

Target groups Athenians, Local stakeholders, Visitors Goal Transform the public to common space, towards a new urban thinking Profit o Enhance the common space o Hack the urban challenges o Foster cohesion and sense of belonging o Develop a neighborhood branding approach

Communication strategy

~ REIMAGINE ATHENS ~ Channels: communication with the local community, local stakeholders and potential investors, website and social media Message: Hack the challenges of your city, by co-

creating a better common space

TOURISM

TOURISM A new approach of touristic promotion of Athens pops up?

Our Campaign goal Athens has already established its touristic fame, so we propose an

alternative communication strategy to show its multifaceted character, rather than its mythical dimension.

Target groups

Students, Young creatives & Tourists

Communication strategy

{For students} ~ REMAP ATHENS ~

Athens as an ideal student city - Great and diverse nightlife - Lively city, you never get bored - Low-cost rentals - Good weather all year long - Ideal location for w.e. trips ex. to Greek islands

Channels: social media, student blogs, universities’ international offices Message: Live the student experience in a city with great food, weather, entertainment, always awake and friendly

Communication strategy

{For young creatives}

~ REMAP ATHENS ~ Athens as a city for experimentation |The greek crisis has resulted in a more creative mindset where challenges are transformed into opportunities| Channels: international institutions, ambassadors, social media, hubs Message:

Visit Athens to interact with the local creative scene and share knowledge and ideas.

Communication strategy

{For tourists}

~ REMAP ATHENS ~ Athens as a serendipitous city Channels: 360-degree marketing approach, transmedia storytelling + Creative postcards Message:

Rediscover Athens as a serendipitous city that offers you tailor-made experiences.

Postcards from Athens

Greetings from Athens!

Greetings from Athens!

Greetings from Athens!

“Quiz” campaign

“Quiz” campaign

“Quiz” campaign

“Quiz” campaign

To sum it up! In order to form a city branding which is not imaginary but

based on original and honest values, we first need to focus on the social nexus and let the local identity emerge, through co-

creation. {In order to reinvent Athens, we need to reinvent ourselves}

Credits

• Evangelia Koutsovoulou | Founder of Daphnis and Chloe

• Argyro Barata & Niki Vouimta | Founders of FEAST

• Dimitra Paraskevopoulou | Founder of Ava’s Farm

• Alison Damianos | Founder of The Meet Market

• www.drichard.org/mindmaps • www.worditout.com • urbanagenda.nl/ • www.youtube.com • www.monopoli.gr

thanks! ANY

QUESTIONS?