Red-faced council chiefs have been told to redo their homework over fears new branding for Aberdeen’s multi-million-pound facelift reeked of “older people trying to be cool”.
The Generation Aberdeen proposals were slated by councillors two weeks running, as the usual timidity about criticising the work of local authority staff was abandoned.
Concerns were first raised about images being presented to them with little context of the thought behind it all.
Generation Aberdeen imagery had been mocked up on the back of buses, in shopfronts and on hoardings at the side of the Pittodrie pitch.
It was hoped to help explain to Aberdonians the scope of the £150 million plans to reinvigorate the city centre and beach.
But professional marketer and Labour councillor Kate Blake claimed the document put forward, titled “branding strategy”, was “not a branding strategy”.
Beetroot-red council chief defends Generation Aberdeen masterplan branding
Chief commercial officer Craig Innes stuck up for the work of the council’s internal communications team and private agency Morrison Media.
“What we have tried to do is to create an image to bring all the city centre and beach masterplan together,” he explained.
“Hopefully, it is a brand that is simple and clear and can be used across all the vision projects we have.
“Whether that’s generation beach or generation market, it’s not meant to cross over and impinge on existing work but more to put the Aberdeen City Council stamp on these projects specifically.”
Ms Blake had asked for the rationale, scope of the strategy, the objectives, target market, how it tested, how it fitted in with other council marketing and the wider regional narrative.
But Mr Innes did not speak to that before the April 26 meeting was adjourned until May 4.
Blake’s assessment prompts wave of very public criticism
And with a week’s break to ponder it, the SNP and Lib Dems running the council were convinced it was lacking.
Council co-leader Ian Yuill on Thursday said: “Having listened carefully to Councillor Blake at the last meeting around the branding strategy, we have changed our position on that.
“We believe that the branding proposals should be revisited. We think they could be improved upon.”
And other members – usually fearful of the mere suggestion that they are being critical of staff – were not shy about sticking the knife in.
Only last year did SNP councillor Michael Hutchison face a Standards hearing for opining on the state of restoration work at Provost Skene’s House.
‘I have been asked if the Aberdeen masterplan branding was done by a bunch of older people trying to be cool’
His Labour George Street and Harbour ward colleague Sandra Macdonald was, by her own admission, “very, very blunt” on the branding though.
Standing to speak at both meetings, she said: “I don’t like Generation Aberdeen.
“Some of the images are out of date, of things that have been knocked down at the market and things like that.
“Maybe that branding is not being targeted at somebody of my mature years.
“Now, I’m not a baby boomer and I’m not a millennial and I don’t even feel I’m even in that Generation X category – I’m somewhere in between all of that – but I wasn’t really very, very keen on that branding at all.”
She hoped other flagship projects, like the proposed Aberdeen Rapid Transit system, could be “bundled” in during the rework.
Meanwhile, former city centre masterplan chief Marie Boulton was “extremely pleased” to hear the branding was being rolled back.
“I have run it by quite a number of people of all ages, to be met with blank looks, a few jokes and to be asked if it was done by a bunch of older people trying to be cool.”
A spokeswoman for the council’s private communications consultants Morrison Media declined the chance to comment.
Her age is not known to The P&J.
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