Freedom Or Not?

[Moghrey Mie]

When the government were first bounced into Freedom to Flourish we were all told it wasn't about marketing. It was about branding and they were 2 completely different things.

 

Now we get a full page spread in IOM Examiner with prof Davidson and others thrashing about wondering how to market the island.

 

It seems as though a lot of money has been / is being spent to very little effect because people elsewhere still don't know anything about the island.

 

They could start with a map of the Irish Sea showing where we are. That shouldn't cost millions.

[localyokel]

Now we get a full page spread in IOM Examiner with prof Davidson and others thrashing about wondering how to market the island.

 

The funny thing about those marketing experts featured is that, with a few execptions, they're all either government employees or on consultancy with the government. Maybe one day a private sector voice will come forward and say its a good thing why don't we do this?

[triskelion]

I'm not sure I quite follow what you are saying here. Freedom to Flourish is about branding, therefore trying to associate the Isle of Man with the idea of 'Freedom to Flourish.'

 

That isn't the same as marketing the Isle of Man or increasing awareness there of.

 

So your have a problem with millions of pounds having been spent on the re-branding without the Isle of Man gaining lots a recognition. Was the purpose behind the rebranding to do this? It seems to me to have been intended more as a preliminary step.

[Moghrey Mie]

I'm not sure I quite follow what you are saying here. Freedom to Flourish is about branding, therefore trying to associate the Isle of Man with the idea of 'Freedom to Flourish.'

 

That isn't the same as marketing the Isle of Man or increasing awareness there of.

 

So your have a problem with millions of pounds having been spent on the re-branding without the Isle of Man gaining lots a recognition. Was the purpose behind the rebranding to do this? It seems to me to have been intended more as a preliminary step.

 

 

A very expensive 'preliminary step'

[Albert Tatlock]

IMO, if this is to go anywhere, it's time for the academics to drop out of this now, and for it to be put into the hands of an experienced business project team (DTI/DTL/FSC etc.) ensuring that they start doing something with it if they are going to get anywhere with it - and give them a decent budget to do so. Freedom to Flourish will remain nothing more than academic clap-trap until it lands on a desk in front of someone, and grabs their attention for coming here, moving business here etc. etc. We already know what the IOM strategy is - so let's start marketing to that now.

 

I notice that 'Freedom to Flourish' didn't appear once in the recent SR advert - it was all about 'set yourself free'. If the DTL paid anything toward this advert or had any say in it etc. then it shows the lack of joined up thinking in the project already.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

IMO, if this is to go anywhere, it's time for the academics to drop out of this now, and for it to be put into the hands of an experienced business project team (DTI/DTL/FSC etc.) ensuring that they start doing something with it if they are going to get anywhere with it - and give them a decent budget to do so. Freedom to Flourish will remain nothing more than academic clap-trap until it lands on a desk in front of someone, and grabs their attention for coming here, moving business here etc. etc. We already know what the IOM strategy is - so let's start marketing to that now.

 

I notice that 'Freedom to Flourish' didn't appear once in the recent SR advert - it was all about 'set yourself free'. If the DTL paid anything toward this advert or had any say in it etc. then it shows the lack of joined up thinking in the project already.

 

I still don't know whether I do not fully understand what Freedom to Flourish represents because I haven't grasped some key point or whether the concept is so bizarre, deluded, and contrived that I am incapable of understanding it.

 

Is it a marketing campaign to advertise the Island for business? Or it a loads of fabricated ideas to inspire a sense of national pride? Or is it some form of 'belief system' that the government has created to drum up more support for public services.

I can understand how a branding/marketing scheme for the Island would work and would seem sensible enough and can even understand WHY a government may wish to run a scheme to improve support for itself or increase national pride. But the impression I get from Freedom to Flourish is that it is trying to do all three.

In trying to tackle all three things it seems more likely that its only use could ever be to advertise the Island to business, as it is clearly too contrived and structured like a marketing campaign that it has no hope of ever instilling any national pride. In my mind this just makes it seem very tacky.

 

Is it just me or does anyone else think this? Maybe I don't understand it fully.

[steven !]

Freedom is not a good word to use.

 

What is the opposite of freedom? So do we have freedom and other countries don't, even *ahem* the adjacent Islands?

 

Are we being smug by declaring our 'Freedom'?

 

Freedom to Flourish. What does it mean? Does anybody know? Does anyone really care?

 

Freedom to Flourish, really, what a load of bollox.

[keyboarder]

Actually, I believe it was a typo - it should have been 'Freedom To Fluoridate' and was a campaign to inform the populace of the plans for water. They were just too embarrassed to backtrack.

[Lonan3]

Not true! It actually arose because the island is seriously in danger of going down the pan and was originally 'Freedom to Flush.'

[keyboarder]

Does anyone know what it means then? We appear to have spent probably handsome sums of cash to give some media moron/s the 'Freedom to Flummox'. Nothing unusual there then...... ; )

[Albert Tatlock]

IMO, if this is to go anywhere, it's time for the academics to drop out of this now, and for it to be put into the hands of an experienced business project team (DTI/DTL/FSC etc.) ensuring that they start doing something with it if they are going to get anywhere with it - and give them a decent budget to do so. Freedom to Flourish will remain nothing more than academic clap-trap until it lands on a desk in front of someone, and grabs their attention for coming here, moving business here etc. etc. We already know what the IOM strategy is - so let's start marketing to that now.

 

I notice that 'Freedom to Flourish' didn't appear once in the recent SR advert - it was all about 'set yourself free'. If the DTL paid anything toward this advert or had any say in it etc. then it shows the lack of joined up thinking in the project already.

 

I still don't know whether I do not fully understand what Freedom to Flourish represents because I haven't grasped some key point or whether the concept is so bizarre, deluded, and contrived that I am incapable of understanding it.

 

Is it a marketing campaign to advertise the Island for business? Or it a loads of fabricated ideas to inspire a sense of national pride? Or is it some form of 'belief system' that the government has created to drum up more support for public services.

I can understand how a branding/marketing scheme for the Island would work and would seem sensible enough and can even understand WHY a government may wish to run a scheme to improve support for itself or increase national pride. But the impression I get from Freedom to Flourish is that it is trying to do all three.

In trying to tackle all three things it seems more likely that its only use could ever be to advertise the Island to business, as it is clearly too contrived and structured like a marketing campaign that it has no hope of ever instilling any national pride. In my mind this just makes it seem very tacky.

 

Is it just me or does anyone else think this? Maybe I don't understand it fully.

It is all about a common marketing approach that the government and business can get behind together. You are not alone in your interpretation of what it is all about, which is precisely why we need to dump the academics involved now and move forward practically.

 

Otherwise we'll be in the same position as the UK - i.e. whatever happened to the UK branding 'cool Britannia' etc.?

[La_Dolce_Vita]

It is all about a common marketing approach that the government and business can get behind together. You are not alone in your interpretation of what it is all about, which is precisely why we need to dump the academics involved now and move forward practically.

 

Otherwise we'll be in the same position as the UK - i.e. whatever happened to the UK branding 'cool Britannia' etc.?

 

But I don't think Cool Britannia was ever a marketing or branding scheme and was associated with a specific music scene which died away a few years later.

 

My only problem was that this marketing scheme seemed to be also directed at the people, as well as government and business.

If it is used solelt as a marketing tool then I thought, as you have said, that it would only make sense to have professionals take-on the advertising. But what exactly do you mean by 'dump the academics'. Who are the academics?

[Freggyragh]

How to spot winners and losers in the Government buffet rankings:

 

Losers go for the cheaper, hi-carb items, like the pasta.

Winners go straight for the hi-protein items such as the beef or the prawns.

 

Losers wear their best suit, even if it is a bit tight.

Winners wear a double-breasted suit to hide trousers cunningly fitted with elasticated waist.

 

Losers keep an eye on the table, foolishly thinking they're a step ahead.

Winners keep an eye on where the food is coming from, so they can follow it directly to the table.

 

Losers eat melon slices (cheap!).

Winners load up on blueberries.

 

Losers don't train at the weekend.

Winners never let up, squeezing in a fete, garden party or coffee morning at every opportunity.

 

Losers look for an expert in the community, someone they could even go and visit themselves.

Winners look for anyone they can get to come over, and so justify not only a lunchtime buffet, but possibly an evening meal too.

 

Winners instinctively know where a buffet is available; they hang out at official openings, consultancy firm presentations, award ceremonies and the like.

Losers let themselves get dragged off to meet real people with real problems.

 

Losers are decisive.

Winners know there can never be enough 'consultation', or enough of those mini sausage rolls.

 

Losers just wouldn't see the buffet potential in a "Workshop for Facilitatiing Investing in Key Stakeholders in the Workplace".

Winners not only see the obvious buffet potential, they 'think outside the box' and suggest an initial consultation meeting to draw up performance targets. At this meeting they spend non-buffet time pushing the suggestion of devoloping the scheme into a series of workshops that are compulsory for everyone. Finally with food still on the mind, they suggest a further 'workshop' for 'feedback'.

 

Losers feel the shame of gluttony.

Winners know how to stack caviar vol-au-vents.

 

Winners know the signature dainties of every caterer on the island.

Losers always fall for the quiche.

 

Losers waste precious time talking to people, thinking about non-buffet related issues, asking questions, finding out what the purpose of the actual buffet is, etc.

Winners spend the whole time giving their undivided attention to the food, brushing off anyone slowing down their feed-rate with a 'Freedom to flourish? - Yeah, Sounds good to me'.

 

Losers stay losers.

Winners earn respect and their places in the Manx Gov. Munch Bunch Hall of Fame.

[Twitch]

I always knew I was a loser.

[Skeddan]

IMO ‘Freedom to Flourish’ could be a very good bit of branding for DTI. It’s catchy, simple, positive, forward thinking, and conveys idea that IoM has energy and dynamic that is aligned to successful new enterprises. I also like the tie in with the DLT branding: ‘Isle of Man, set yourself free’

 

However it doesn’t get douze points from me. The reason is the brand and the reality are too far apart, and this become hollow or even backfires.

 

In what sense is there ‘Freedom to Flourish’?

 

The things that go with top-performing economies and best business environment – low CPI (corruptions perception index), high rule of law, are things IoM wouldn’t score very well on.

 

‘Freedom’ in the sense of ‘Democracy’ is again something IoM where IoM fares poorly, rating as a ‘flawed democracy’, ranking nearer the middle than the top among countries.

 

Maybe a more accurate slogan would be ‘Taxation to Thrive’ – not quite so peppy though.

 

The DLT slogan really struck me. “Isle of Man – set yourself free”. I wondered if it perhaps came about from some sneaky Mec Vannin mole that had inflitrated IOMG. But if they were that good, they’d be spraypainting ‘No’ infront of ‘Freedom to Flourish’ in a guerilla brand-busting campaign.

 

I don’t think someone has thought the branding through properly.

 

However if IoM could bring itself to score tops in CPI index and democracy index, (as a result of which the economy would probably be a lot stronger), then this branding could be very strong and really draw attention to IoM as an attractive place for businesses. Meanwhile 2 out of 10.